Marvin Fred Peterson

Marvin Fred Peterson passed away April 13, 2026, due to the long term effects of dementia. He was 98. He was born to Alfred John Peterson and Mamie (Machovsky) Peterson on October 11, 1927, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

He is survived by his daughter, Vonie Mae (Peterson) Martin; son-in-law, Gary; grand-daughters, Fuyin Kathryn and Wren Anna Mae (Martin) Taber; grandson-in-law, Jacob Taber; nieces, Kaye (Peterson) Daggett and Barbara (Moorse) and husband Steve Zempel; nephews, David "PD" Peterson and David Moorse and wife, Pam; great-nieces and nephews, Rick, Rob, Kate, Aly, Becky, and Clayton; and more into the next generations!

He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Arlyce Beverly (Moe); daughter, Cynthia Jo (Peterson) Atrz; son, Stephen John; brother, Richard "RP" Peterson; both parents; and long-time dear friend and companion, Phyllis Artz-Bernstein.

Marvin grew up in the fourth ward of Eau Claire and participated in many activities, including band, football, and skiing, which he started at the young age of 6. He especially liked ski jumping and the grade school he attended even had a ski jump on the playground! He was in the Flying Eagles ski club and traveled to competitions, which he often won.

He was a 17-year-old high school senior in 1945--World War II was still raging and he, plus other brave young men, left school in the spring to enlist in the military. He initially joined the Navy Coast Guard because he wanted to be on a ship. However, he was sent to New York for basic training. One a weekend pass he married his sweetheart, Arlyce. He was finally assigned to a ship, a hospital ship returning to Hawaii from San Diego. He traveled cross country by train filled with military--what an experience that was! In Hawaii he was assigned to an office because he knew how to type (not a common skill among men in those day!). So much for being on a ship--he was discharged on May 31, 1946.

Jobs were scarce after the war, so he enlisted in the Air Force in 1947. He was sent (by ship!) to Germany and was involved in the German Occupation and Berlin Airlift. The war was over and he was able to visit Hitler's Eagle Nest and a concentration camp. In off hours, they played basketball and football. Marvin's fondest event during this time was winning the ski jump competition in the North European Ski Meet. He was discharged from the Air Force on September 29, 1951.

After that, Marvin used the "GI Bill" to attend college and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1955 to work for the Internal Revenue Service. He then transferred to the Denver office and attended Denver Law School. After that, he joined a private law firm, Austin, Meyers, (Peterson), and Gaudineer, in Des Moines, Iowa. The high point of his career was being selected as a Special Trial Judge on the US Tax Court in Washington, D.C. That involved traveling to major cities across the country to hear cases, a very interesting job.

When Marvin retired, he and Arlyce sold the boat that they had sailed on the Chesapeake Bay (the Marvarlyce) and moved to Naples, Florida. This was followed by many happy years of traveling, attending plays and concerts, and participating in the sports Marvin loved: golf, tennis, and Bocce. He was active in the Emmanuel Lutheran Church. He had many friends and was always willing to help--whether with tax questions or delivering the newspaper to apartments in his building! Unhappily, some of the help he had to give was to be the caretaker for his wife, children, and friends in their declining health, but he did so with love and devotion.

As dementia began to take its toll, Marvin moved to the Kansas City area to be closer to his daughter, Vonie Mae. He lived in several residences, moving from independent living, to assisted living, and finally, to memory care. He was still pretty active, going on outings with family, shopping, eating out, etc. He always wore his WW II Veteran cap and received many "thank you for your service" remarks from the people he met. We owe a sincere thank you to the many kind, caring, and talented staff who worked with him. Now it's his turn to rest.

Also to note is that he was generous to many charities. His favorites were the St. Labre Indian School in Montana and the World War II Museum in New Orleans, of which he was a charter member.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 11 a.m. at Church Archer Pasley Funeral Home, 119 East Franklin Street, Liberty, MO. Doors will open to the public at 10:30 a.m.