Jimmie Dean Peterson

January 25, 1941 – June 23, 2010

Jim was passionate about almost everything in his life.

He entered the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after graduating from high school and had tours in Vietnam and with the Marine Security Guard Battalion at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. He loved being a marine, and if he wasn’t “squared away” before, he certainly was after his service. Jim was proud of his service to his Country, and the Marines’ ethics and core values of honor, courage and commitment were the touchstones of his life. It was true for Jim, along with every other Marine, that there is no such thing as an ex-Marine.

He was passionate about living in the west and took advantage of every opportunity to explore “rural America,” as he liked to say. No airplane travel for him, it was backcountry roads and byways all the way, with an occasional freeway only if speed was an issue. Wyoming was his favorite place to be, with Montana a close second. He always said he was born in the wrong time and place and that he should have been a cowboy in the Wild West. He enjoyed nature and was a great storyteller of his experiences.

Jim made a difference in other people’s lives. He generously gave his time and skills to the humanitarian relief efforts of organizations that work in third world countries. With his degree in environmental health and his broad field of knowledge; he was able to help with water, sanitation, and housing issues. There were many “tours of duty” including Russia; Zaire (Congo)–Rwanda; Azerbaijan-Chechnya-Armenia; Kosovo; Macedonia; Mozambique; and Peru. Jim was a loyal friend who kept in touch with many of the people who worked with him, and for him, during his travels. For a man who didn’t like “gadgets,” email was Jim’s friend. His two-fingered typing could be heard late into the night.

He was passionate about his family, was a devoted husband and a very proud grandfather to four grandchildren, Hannah, Emily, Griffin, and Sophia. Needless to say, his children were very important to him – Suzi, Rebecca, Tim, Step-Daughter Kristina, and Step-son Alex.

We will all miss him dearly.