My fondest memories of my childhood go back to Century Elementary when I was fortunate enough to have my grandfather as my teacher in 5th and 6th grade. During those 2 years, I was with my grandparents nearly 24/7. I would wake up and spend the school day with my grandparents and my cousin Katie. My grandpa, along with my grandma created the best learning environment a child could ask for. After school, I would spend nearly an hour and a half with my grandpa as he was my first coach in football, wrestling, and track. After practice, my grandparents would often times come over for dinner because we lived 2 blocks from the school. I was mesmerized by the stories my grandpa would tell my brother and I about his life, my mother and her siblings, or just random stories that captivated my imagination. The stories of my Uncle George and Uncle Geoff’s athletic careers made me idolize them and I wanted to be just like them. All of my childhood dreams began to form at that dinner table. 

In my grandparent’s classroom, there was a big colorful sign that read “shoot for the moon.. even if you miss you’ll land among the stars” as a 5th and 6th Grader I didn’t understand the significance of that quote, but it became embedded in my subconscious forever. As I grew up I understood the meaning of that saying. That sign helped me develop goals that I would dedicate my life to. I knew the stars I would land on would make my grandpa proud as long as I shot for the moon. 

Grandpa, thank you for helping develop the confidence and belief I have in myself. Throughout all of my years of playing football, you are my favorite coach and Ill cherish those memories with you forever. I love you, and I’m so grateful to have had you in my life. Thank you for everything that you did in helping me become the person I am today..... Lucus Gingold


To my wonderful, handsome, intelligent and charismatic father.  My love for sports, competition, food and people came from you. You taught me how to dream, think for myself and always strive to be my best. I love the special times we had together. In the summer, we would drive to the beach and visit card shops. After Mom went to sleep, we would watch scary movies. I looked up to you, and I am so thankful for the example you and Mom set for how to live a full life and to love your children unconditionally. I’m the lucky one to have had you for my father. Love you forever,  Shelly

I’ll never forget all the times I got to look through cards at the card shop, the times I got to watch movies at my grandparents house, or the silly song that my grandpa used to sing to me when I was little.
I was lucky enough to have my grandpa as my fifth and sixth grade teacher and I’ll never forget how much his students loved him! I remember in class, Mr.P gave us the option to eat lunch in his classroom or eat in the cafeteria and everyone would stay in his room because we all wanted to spend more time with Mr & Mrs.P! He really cared for his students, more than any teacher I’ve had before! 
You are missed and loved by so many!
I love you grandpa!

Anthony Petersen was my grandfather, my teacher, and the man I most admired growing up. As a child he always appeared larger than life, and he always shared stories and tales that sparked my imagination. On drives through town we would cruise past an otherwise ordinary ponding basin, and grandpa would explain this Lake Titicaca was filled with crocodiles, piranhas, and other exotic creatures. At other times he would recount fanciful accounts of his past. he described a flood so deep in Fresno, that sharks and dolphins swam along Olive Avenue. I later learned this story was slightly exaggerated, but nevertheless my grandpa helped me see the wonder in the world around me. He always found a way to encourage, believe in, and see the best in me. This ability continued in elementary school when he taught me in 5th and 6th grade. These years were my favorite years in school. I distinctly remember our science class activities. We built rockets and launched them on the Century football field. We traveled to the Atwater science center where we conducted missions in space. I was able to work with my friends to stay alive in space, even when we had no idea how to fix an oxygen leak. I will always remember my grandpa for his great ability to spark my imagination as a kid and help me dream of a better version of my self. 



I always wanted to be around Grandpa. When he was in the room, he was a great storyteller. When he wasn’t in the room, he was the subject of many stories. When he was around you wanted to hear him, when he wasn’t around you wanted to talk about him. Throughout my blessed years as his grandson, I saw that he was a funny, smart, memorable, strong, and caring man. He was a tough guy, I imagine he would be fierce in a fistfight, but he was very thoughtful and kind. He was a good athlete and an intellectual. His habits of memorization and his love of poetry where contagious, causing me to want to have a library of poems and songs to recite and sing at whim like Grandpa did.  

I was fortunate to take his 5th and 6th grade classes at Century Elementary, where I learned quite a bit from him and my grandma, known in the classroom as Mr. and Mrs. P. He taught an unusual elementary class, with a curriculum consisting of high school spelling books, Shakespeare, algebra, rocket building, knitting, crocheting, and reading the newspaper. His unusual class made him wildly popular at Century, with students in kindergarten frequently asking him if he would still be teaching when they would be in 6th grade, because they wanted to take his class. The peculiarities of Mr. P’s class made for some good stories. One night, my sister and I were working on our spelling homework. My parents caught my sister, who was in high school, copying off my spelling workbook that Mr. P gave me because we were both doing the 9th grade workbook. Mr. P had high standards and always wanted us to challenge ourselves.  

To say I learned a lot from Grandpa is an understatement. He is a true man and the father of the Petersen family. He touched many lives as a teacher and was a strong leader of our family. It made me happy whenever we would visit him and he would light up when he saw us. He was always happy to see his family. I love him and miss him greatly. Thank you Grandpa for all you did for us.  

I always wanted to be around Grandpa. When he was in the room, he was a great storyteller. When he wasn’t in the room, he was the subject of many stories. When he was around you wanted to hear him, when he wasn’t around you wanted to talk about him. Throughout my blessed years as his grandson, I saw that he was a funny, smart, memorable, strong, and caring man. He was a tough guy, I imagine he would be fierce in a fistfight, but he was very thoughtful and kind. He was a good athlete and an intellectual. His habits of memorization and his love of poetry where contagious, causing me to want to have a library of poems and songs to recite and sing at whim like Grandpa did.  
 
I was fortunate to take his 5th and 6th grade classes at Century Elementary, where I learned quite a bit from him and my grandma, known in the classroom as Mr. and Mrs. P. He taught an unusual elementary class, with a curriculum consisting of high school spelling books, Shakespeare, algebra, rocket building, knitting, crocheting, and reading the newspaper. His unusual class made him wildly popular at Century, with students in kindergarten frequently asking him if he would still be teaching when they would be in 6th grade, because they wanted to take his class. The peculiarities of Mr. P’s class made for some good stories. One night, my sister and I were working on our spelling homework. My parents caught my sister, who was in high school, copying off my spelling workbook that Mr. P gave me because we were both doing the 9th grade workbook. Mr. P had high standards and always wanted us to challenge ourselves.  

To say I learned a lot from Grandpa is an understatement. He is a true man and the father of the Petersen family. He touched many lives as a teacher and was a strong leader of our family. It made me happy whenever we would visit him and he would light up when he saw us. He was always happy to see his family. I love him and miss him greatly. Thank you Grandpa for all you did for us.  

My dad modeled for me every day how to be a man, husband, father, teacher, and person.  I’m the third boy out of five – and I don’t know why they chose me, but I was fortunate to be the one named after my dad.    I loved every minute of it  - I just hope he was as happy with naming me Tony as I was with being named Tony.  The older I get, the more I realize how much I am like my dad.  I look like him.  My shins are like his.  (Thank God I didn’t get his sense of fashion).  My love of Disneyland comes from him.  My love of movies, puzzles, and card collecting all come from my dad. I became a teacher and coach because of him – I even take my wife to school with me just like he did – and I say the same stupid things to her that he said to my mom.  Every year I do a lesson in my class about a role model.  I ask the students, "What do you think a role model is?"  The answer I always get is, "Someone that you look up to."  And I always tell them to never look up to someone because they will invariably do something to let you down.  When I look back on my dad's life, I can truly say that he is someone that we can all look up to because he never let anyone down.  Dad, I love you - Tony

Thank you Tony for being such a great father-in-law, grandpa and great grandpa.  Thank you for raising a great son who got your name and all your wonderful qualities.  I'm thankful that my kids got to be in your class and learn from "Mr. and Mrs. P."  I also got to witness what excellent educators you both were when I worked in your class and went on field trips.  You always lit up when you were around the grand kids and great grand kids.  I'm really going to miss you, but you will live on forever through your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  I'm sure Heaven is full of teaching, watching movies, swimming and sorting baseball cards.  I love you, Lisa

He was the famous Mr. P to many, but he was always Grandpa to me. Although I never got the opportunity to be in Mr. P’s class, I was lucky enough to be able to learn from him outside of the classroom. Not only was Grandpa a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, he an educator, a comedian, and a trailblazer. He had a knack for bringing out the best in people and an amazing ability to fill any room with laughter. While his parenting and teaching methods may have been unorthodox (tossing his kids in the deep end to “teach” them to swim, giving his 6th grade students high school level work, etc.), they were effective. He pushed those around him to reach a potential they never knew was possible. Grandpa never missed an opportunity to show me how proud he was of me. I want him to know that I am just as proud to be his granddaughter. I love you, Grandpa!

My grandpa has always been like a celebrity to me. Every time I’d go somewhere with him, we could barely take 10 steps without running into someone who knew him. People always lit up when they saw Mr. P. I was fortunate enough to be in his class my sixth grade year. I got to witness that not only was he an amazing grandfather, he was an amazing man and educator. He pushed his students and saw potential in people. He made us do higher levels of work and I’d think it was going to be impossible. I’d think, “how am I going going to do tenth grade level reading?” But then I’d get it. We read Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe along with many other great writers. As someone making a career in literature, I can’t thank him enough for pushing me back then. He helped me reach my potential when I was in his class. Most other teachers are happy with their students simply completing the assignments and doing the bare minimum. But Mr. P pushed people to be better. Every morning he had his students read the morning newspaper and do the crossword puzzle, word scramble, and sudoku. Perhaps I can blame him for all my nerdy tendencies I have today. He had a comical amount of poems memorized and would start reciting them at random times throughout the day. Grandma came to the class every day and helped him teach. They joked with one another constantly and showed his students what love looked like. They were the great duo. They taught us knitting and Spanish and how to make rockets. They taught us so many things beyond just education. We already miss him so dearly, but I know he is in heaven teaching everyone to “contemplate your navel.” 

Mr. P not only inspired me to be a better student, but he inspired me to be a better teacher, coach, and leader. Mr. P was always the type of teacher that knew exactly what we needed to do in order to fill our potential in life. Not only in the classroom or on the playing field, but in everything we do in life. 
I have had a ton of amazing teachers in my life, but non of them have stood out to me like Mr. P did. He taught me that life wasn’t meant to be easy. He told me that if life was easy, then I was not doing everything I could to get better. He also taught me to appreciate all the little things in life, because you never know when that little thing will turn into a big thing. 

When I ran for President in 6th Grade, my promise to the school was to get a  Clovis Unified School named after Mr. P. Even though it hasn’t happened yet, I have been waiting patiently for Clovis Unified to expand and for the Clovis South Area to start being built, because I truly believe there is no excuse for a school not to be named after this hero of so many people. 

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Petersen for everything you have taught me in my life, and I can not wait to continue on the Petersen Way of teaching with my current and future Student Athletes. 

Love James Humphrey ( Century Elem 6th Grade Class of 2008)

There's a lot that could be said about Grandpa. Here are some scattered thoughts. Unfortunately, he was never my teacher, but he and Grandma did have us over in the summers for Petersen Summer School. I loved it. Then, I think when I was an undergraduate, Grandpa and Grandma had me in their class to talk about writing. They encouraged me that I was a natural teacher, and that pushed me to pursue it. Grandpa loved cards—baseball, football, basketball, whatever—and so did I. It was great to be able to bond over them. Grandpa was a very happy man, always with a smile on his face. In these last few years, whenever anything happened, Grandpa's first instinct was to pray about it. And Grandpa had a special connection with Charlotte, my daughter. He always made her laugh. They opened packs of cards together. She mimicked the sounds he made. Grandpa, we miss you and love you.

Dear Tina,       I have  such fond memories of you and Tony when we used to be neighbors and you guys would come over to dinner all the time and tell us stories about the good ol’ days.   Tony would talk about getting paid .31 cents an hour in pharmaceutical sales or when someone would give him a red onion and he’d slice it and put it between white bread and mayo yum! That would be such a special treat for him... He certainly taught me how to appreciate the simple things in life.     I will always be so grateful to Tina and Tony for making Katies last  two years of elementary school so much fun.      I loved when Grandpa Tony  would sing to Katie ...Ka, Ka,Ka, Katie beautiful Katie your the only girl for me . Or when he’d sit Mitchell on his lap and read stories. It’s all the little things that mean so much. I love you both so much!  Kelley 

I am definitely missing the Friday morning breakfast club.  Tony and Tina would always show up to breakfast at Rodeo Café and then when we changed to Yosemite Falls Café.  Tony would always tell the greatest stories.  Most were about battles in CUSD  and some were funny stories about crazy trips or events, etc.  Tony would tell them over and over again but each time they were just as funny as the first time.  Tony was an amazing husband, father, and loyal Clovis Unified teacher/administrator, even during the very tough times!  I have heard the stories to prove it and I wished I had heard more.

My condolences to the Petersen Family and especially to Tina.  We'll all miss Tony!

Rick Watson 

To the Petersen Family,

My fondest memories of Mr. Petersen, as he was properly addressed, attending Pinedale School, Nelson School, then 7th and 8th Grades in the early 60s was a true blessing.  

The Trio of Mr. Petersen, Mr. Barker and Mr. Talbot, who provided a valuable nurturing to us Students “From the Pinedale and Cal Cot Area” while maturing and preparing for our continued education.

“Coach Petersen” was instrumental in engaging us to participate in Sports, especially flag football, where we traveled to other Elementary Schools in the Clovis Unified District, and he showed us how to “Win” and thus we became Winners. He instilled confidence in us to succeed.  Ironically we ultimately bonded with these same area athletes during Clovis High Cougar Football seasons and an ultimate Valley Championship in the 1970/1971 era.

Thank you to the Petersen Family for sharing your loving Husband, Father and Grandfather, who inspired us and gave us the confidence and courage for a lasting lifetime. Amen!

His Legacy still lives on through his Family;
While Mr. George Petersen, the Principal for Liberty Elementary, where our Granddaughter, Isabella attended, while receiving a valuable and prepared education to formulate her for a lifetime.

For Coach Petersen, while Isabella and I attended Cougar Football for the past 5 years, instilling a Winning Attitude, just like your Father.
Thank you to Mr. Petersen, Mr. Barker and Mr. Talbot, the Trio of educators, amongst others, and to Mr. George Petersen and Mr. Geoff Petersen for your valued commitment to our education.

Adiós, y ve con nuestro Señor, para descansar, trabajaste duro, diste lo mejor de ti y ahora es el momento de recibir los beneficios de esta Vida. Un Trabajo, muy bien hecho.

Farewell, and go with our Lord, to rest, you worked hard, you gave your best and now it is your time to receive your benefits from this Life.  A Job well done. 

From the Mayorga Family



Mr. P was a personality that no one could forget and cared for his students like they were his own. In 6th grade, he signed me up for Student Council (nearly against my will) and I went on to be VP and Class President that year. He always encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and signed me up for different public speeches and pushed me to join GATE and Student Voice that same year.  In the short time he was my teacher, he instilled a confidence in me that I was able to do anything that I set my mind to and nothing was out of reach. In our yearbook that year he wrote, " I would like to leave you with these thoughts. You are the Earth's most valuable resource. Your efforts, your thoughts, and your dreams will carry you all to places we can only imagine."  

Thank you for believing in us, Rest in Peace Mr. P.


Our prayers are with the entire Petersen family.  No one had more of an impact on my entire educational career than Tony Petersen. He taught me to be kind as much as I could and to be firm when I had to.  He also taught me to not take myself too serious.  These are things I still look back on today.  Tony will be greatly missed in the Talley household.  God Bless you Tony you will be greatly missed.


Mr P. was a big role model for me in a time when I needed him. He taught me everything from pushing my arm against the car door in order to make my arms look bigger for the ladies, to “the only two things you have to do in life is die and pay taxes.” I loved every day I had with him in class and he will always be in my memories.  He always challenged me and motivated me to continue improving in everything I did. Even thought I still owe Mrs P. a couple of book reports, with their guidance from a young age I was able to earn my Bachelors degree and pursue my Masters. 

To the Petersen Family,

My fondest memories of Mr. Petersen, as he was properly addressed, attending Pinedale School, Nelson School, then 7th and 8th Grades in the early 60s was a true blessing.  

The Trio of Mr. Petersen, Mr. Barker, and Mr. Talbot, who provided a valuable nurturing to us Students “From the Pinedale and Cal Cot Area”, while maturing and preparing for our continued education.

“Coach Petersen” was instrumental in engaging us to participate in Sports, especially flag football, where we traveled to other Elementary Schools in the Clovis Unified District, and he showed us how to “Win” and thus we became Winners. He instilled confidence in us to succeed.  Ironically we ultimately bonded with these same area athletes during Clovis High Cougar Football seasons and an ultimate Valley Championship in the 1970/1971 era.

Thank you to the Petersen Family for sharing your loving Husband, Father and Grandfather, who inspired us and gave us the confidence and courage for a lasting lifetime. Amen!

His Legacy still lives on through his Family;

While Mr. George Petersen, the Principal for Liberty Elementary, where our Granddaughter, Isabella attended, while receiving a valuable and prepared education to formulate her for a lifetime.

For Coach Petersen, while Isabella and I attended Cougar Football for the past 5 years, instilling a Winning Attitude, just like your Father.

Thank you to Mr. Petersen, Mr. Barker, and Mr. Talbot, the Trio of educators, amongst others, and to Mr. George Petersen and Mr. Geoff Petersen for your valued commitment to our education.

Adiós, y ve con nuestro Señor, para descansar, trabajaste duro, diste lo mejor de ti y ahora es el momento de recibir los beneficios de esta Vida. Un Trabajo, muy bien hecho.

Farewell, and go with our Lord, to rest, you worked hard, you gave your best and now it is your time to receive your benefits from this Life. A Job well done. 



My sincere condolences to the Petersen family. Tony was a critical foundational leader for CUSD. Without him and other leaders like him, Clovis Unified would not be the great place it is today. His no nonsense moral and ethical leadership was an example for all of us that had the privilege to know and work with him. He was one of the most student centered leaders I have ever known.  RIP Tony. 

Tina and Family,
Hearing of Tony’s departure was a true heartbreaker for me.  Even though we haven’t been close for a time, our relationship and the great times we shared with each other and Chuck Talbot during our careers in Clovis Unified still live on in my memory.  Tony had a great personality and a fun filled existence. He was a special friend. 
My deepest sympathy goes out to you and the Petersen clan.  He will certainly be missed.  

My family send a heart felt condolence to the Petersen family. Mr Petersen was an honorable man , he really loved teaching. Growing up in Pinedale in the late 50’s ,  where Mr Petersen taught school he was very influential he did a lot for the kids there , he really cared and helped cultivate a lot of positive character in the kids there . Along with Mr. Talbet and Mr. Barker, they are legends still in that community .  Gods speed Mr .  Petersen peace be with you 

My condolences to the Petersen family!  Tony was such an important part of the CUSD leadership team in the 80’s and 90’s when the district was going through amazing growth.  He was always there in support of Doc B and his top level administrators when the district was going through so many negative changes at the Board level.  I will always remember Tony for taking the lead against the threats made to CUSD principals during this time, and meeting at his home to develop a resistance strategy to save all of our Principalships.  He was a great site leader and friend.  He will be missed but leaves a positive legacy.  May he Rest In Peace.

Gary S. Giannoni, Sr.

Hi Rany & Kelly your Dad was a Brilliant Man and contributed to the Comunity in many ways was a great teacher and Father I am very sorry for your loss you guys have been good friends for many years we have had lots of great memories.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Anthony Henry Petersen Jr.

2 octobre 1931 – 15 mars 2019

Boice Funeral Home

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