Neil Edward Petterson

He was proceded in death by his parents, Dr. Cecil E. Petterson and Jeanne Petterson of Syracuse, Kansas.

He is survived by his wife Kathy of 54 years, son Timothy Woodruff and grandson Chance, of Healdton, Oklahoma, daughter Angela, and granddaughter Lauren, of Fountain Colorado and son Isaac and wife Julie, of Peyton Colorado. A sister Judith Petterson Clark, of Columbia, Missouri, Dr. Jon Petterson of Baker, Oregon and sister Nancy Hull of Caldwell, Kansas.

Neil was raised in Syracuse Kansas and graduated from Syracuse high school in 1965. He was drafted into the Army in November 1966. He served one year in El Paso, Texas and one year in Germany.

After returning to the states, he pursued a career in airplane mechanics receiving a certificate for Air Frame and power plant mechanics from Broomfield, Colorado. He also pursued a career in flying. Unfortunately, this was around the same time pilots were returning from Vietnam with a thousand hours of flying, which shot down his dreams.

While in Oklahoma, during pilot training he met Kathy. They were married two years later in Hot Springs, South Dakota, where Neil was employed by a fixed based operation at the little airport there. After many moves chasing after his dream, he resigned himself to the fact his dream of flying had to take a back seat to surviving.

They finally settled in Security Colorado where Neil was a heavy equipment operator for 40 years. Neil was a builder. When we moved here, he did not care how big the house was as long as the garage was bigger.

Neil was a man who could not sit still. He spent countless hours in the garage. He restored a PA-18 Super Cub plane, restored VW bugs, Cushman scooters, motorcycles, and street rods. The garage was his happy place.

Neil loved life, it’s as simple as that.

Memorial Service will be held September 4,2026 at 1pm at Pikes Peak National Cemetery.