He was born in Spencer, Iowa on August 28, 1940, to Leland and Caroline Peterson. He graduated from Rock Rapids, Iowa High School, and then his family moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he continued his education at Fort Dodge Community College. He was married to Judith Burger on June 5, 1965 in Jefferson, Iowa.
He moved to California in February of 1964 and went to work at Rocketdyne as an engineer working on the Apollo/Saturn flights. Rocketdyne transferred him to Tullahoma, Tennessee in 1966 to Arnold Engineering Base, where they tested the rocket engines.
In 1969, he returned to California and went to work for Mobil Oil Corporation. In 1977 he bought a Mobile Oil Franchise Gas station, which he and his wife operated for 34 years and retired in February 2011.
He is survived by his wife, Judy Peterson, daughter Krista and son Timothy, mother Caroline Peterson and sisters Sonja Kreitzer, Patsy Patterson, Penny Costigan, and brothers Leland Peterson, and Douglas Peterson. He was preceded in death by his son Shane Peterson.
He was loved by everyone and will be missed by all.
