Capt. Richard Lynn Peterson

Captain Richard Lynn Peterson, age 68, succumbed to the novel coronavirus on January 31, 2021.

Rick was married to Dr. Deborah Peterson for 33 years, during which time they raised four daughters:

Heather Leona, Ricki Lyn, Nancy Mariah, and Helen Jean Nicole. They also fostered several children

between 1992 and 2012. Rick and Deb adopted pets of all kinds, but the most important of these was

Rick’s chihuahua, Peanut.

Rick was born on May 30, 1952 to Helen Roberts and Jim Purvis. He was the eldest of three children

by that union. Helen later married Johnny Anderson and had four more children. Helen died

tragically when Rick was only nine years old. The children’s uncle George Roberts and his wife, Pat

fostered Rick and his six younger siblings, Mike, Merry, Rodney, Eugene, Ramona, and Bryan. In

1962, Rick and Mike were adopted by Lynn and Betty Peterson. The boys grew up on the Peterson

family farm in the Yakima Valley of Washington state. There, Rick hunted pheasant, played sports,

and worked the orchards.

Rick began flying lessons at age 14, which led to his lifelong career in aviation. During the Vietnam

War Era, he served in the Navy at Moffett Field in San Diego, California. He then moved to Alaska to

fly the pipeline, and it was this decision that he credited with many of his successes later in life. He

became an airline pilot and worked for American Airlines for over 30 years, ultimately becoming a

captain on the Boeing 777.

Throughout his life, Rick took on many hobbies and passion projects. He was a collector of flight

certificates, with licenses to fly hot air balloons, gyrocopters, seaplanes, helicopters, and Lear Jets, to

name just a few. He went on many SCUBA diving and snorkeling trips with his family. One summer,

he coached Mariah’s softball team, and the players all agreed he was the best coach they’d ever had.

Anyone who studied under him will credit him with having been an exceptional instructor. After

retiring from his airline career, he took a summer job flying bear tours in Alaska, and later, a position as flightsim instructor at CAE DFW.

Rick is survived by his wife and daughters, his six younger siblings, son-in-law Adam Chandler, and

future grandson, Arthur Dean Chandler.

In life, Rick never had the opportunity to fly any type of spacecraft, so his family plans to lay a portion of his ashes to rest on the moon.

If you wish to send floral condolences in honor of Mr. Richard Lynn Peterson, you may call Lilium Floral Design at 817-589-1566 or http://www.liliumflorals.com