Kenneth A. Peterson

DAVENPORT- Kenneth A. Peterson, 99, formerly of Bettendorf, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 13th, 2012, at Ridegecrest Village in Davenport. Funeral services will be held at 2:00PM on Monday, June 18th, 2012, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf. Visitation will be held from 1:00PM-2:00PM on Monday at the church. Burial will take place at Parr Cemetery in Muscatine County. Memorials may be made to the church. On line condolences may be made at www.rungemortuary.com.

Ken Peterson was born December 2nd, 1912, in Davenport, Iowa the son of C. Edward and Dorette (Ericks) Peterson. On September 15th, 1936, he married Alma A. Kretschmar in Pleasant Prairie, Iowa. Mr. Peterson was a self-employed musician. He offered piano lessons, was employed as a musician for Runge Mortuary, and served as both an organist and choir director for Lutheran congregations in the area.

Over the course of his career he played for more than 12,000 funeral services. Most notably, he played for the funeral service of the well-known Jazz musician, Bix Biederbecke.

Ken was married to Alma for 72 years, until her death in 2009. They were a Pattern of Marital Felicity and their Amiable Simplicity of Manners and Benevolence endeared them to all those who enjoyed the happiness of their friendship.

He was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf, where he had served as organist for many years.

Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Alma; his parents; and his sisters, Susan Schweiger and Virginia Lundvall. He is survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Alice and Clifford Freyermuth of Phoenix, Arizona; nephews, John & David Freyermuth, both residing in Arizona; and a niece, Casie Dreier and her husband, John, of North Carolina; and a cousin by his wifes family, Kay Runge.