Charles Dean Peterson (Pete) passed away on March 7, surrounded by his family. Born to Carl and Esther Peterson on August 30, 1928, Pete and his two sisters grew up amidst the tumult of the Great Depression and World War II. Despite the many joys of his youth—hockey upon the lakes of Minnesota and baseball upon its plains—Pete would forever evince the quiet self-discipline, integrity, and resilience forged by the privations of the war and depression.
Compelled by his strength of character, Pete enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17, serving as a medic in South Korea. After completing his military service, Pete enrolled at the University of Minnesota, graduating with an undergraduate degree in Architecture. Though he then left Minnesota to obtain a Master's in Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Pete would return to court and then marry Vilah Jean (Jeanie)—his devoted wife of the next 64 years.
Although born and raised on the Midwestern plains, Pete made his life in the shadow of the Western mountains. After his graduation from MIT, Pete taught at Washington State University in the Architecture Department for two years, before moving his young family to Salt Lake City to open his own architectural practice in 1958. For the next four decades, Pete would design commercial and residential projects—a legacy of churches, academic buildings, and homes that traverses the Western states.
No project better encapsulated Pete than the home he designed for his family. Its low-slung profile and elongated eaves harkened back to the prairies of his youth and its warm woods set the stage on which generations of his family would learn of his humility, faith, and lifelong passion for music. With a twinkle in his eye and a heartening smile, he would share the story of his life and his pride in his Scandinavian heritage with his three surviving daughters and six grandsons: Krisitiannia, Kjorina (William and Charles), and Kaara (Christian, Daniel, William, and Jonathan). While he has now joined his loving wife Jeanie and daughter Kaia, Pete shall live on in the memories of his family and friends.
A private memorial service will be held to celebrate and commemorate Pete. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to make donations to the Children's Service Society of Utah, Mount Tabor Lutheran Church, or the Department of Architecture at MIT.
