Loren Dean Petersen

Loren Dean Petersen was born May 8, 1935 in Nemaha County, Nebraska, to Henry and Wilma Petersen. He had many fond memories of attending grade school in a one room school house. He attended high school in Johnson, Nebraska, where he played baseball, basketball and ran track. Loren played the trumpet and piano. After graduating high school, Loren attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. It was at university where he met Virginia Griffiths whom he married when he graduated.

Loren and Virginia moved to California to work in the aerospace industry for North American Aviation for one year and then at Hughes Aircraft Company for the remainder of his career. Loren worked on many radar programs for the Air Force and Navy. He also worked on the Surveyor Program, testing the lens coating for the camera that went to the moon.

Loren and Virginia had two sons, Gerald and Leslie, and loved to go camping. They would spend two weeks camping, water-skiing and exploring Lake Shasta with family and friends. They would also spend several weekends throughout the year boating at the Colorado river. Every summer the camper would be packed up and they would head to Kansas and Nebraska to visit family and friends. Thanksgiving and Easter would find them camping in the Anza Borrego desert with their California extended family riding motorcycles, hunting for petrified wood, singing songs and telling stories around the campfire.

Loren loved card games and puzzles. Cribbage, Hearts, and rummy card games were his favorite card games. He loved to do crosswords, picture puzzles, Sudoku, and physical puzzles.

Loren’s biggest passion was singing. He was in the church choirs of St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Johnson Nebraska, Grace Lutheran Church in Culver City, and House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Escondido. He also sang with the LA Camerata which allowed him to sing in China, and at Carnegie Hall, a lifelong dream of his.

Loren was also an avid football fan. Saturdays he cheered on Nebraska and watched many other college games, and Sundays he watched the professional games.

After Virginia passed in 2004, Loren remarried in 2009 to Mary Jane, with whom he happily spent the rest of his life. They continued to travel to the Midwest to visit relatives and friends, spending a month traveling to Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.

Loren is survived by: his sister Elaine Hippen; his wife Mary Jane Petersen; sons Gerald and wife Gillian Groves, and Leslie and wife Debora Hankinson; step-daughters Cheryl Hammerlindl and husband Tom and Lisa Lawson, and husband Robert; 4 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; and several nieces, nephew, and cousins in the midwest.