Paul Peterson, 1935-2017

Published 12:02 am Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Memorial services for Paul E. Peterson, 82, will be at  2 p.m. Saturday at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home in Albert Lea. The Rev. Kent Otterman will officiate. Interment will be at Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com.

Paul Peterson

Paul passed away November 12, 2017, in Milwaukee, where he was living to be close to his son, Tom.

Paul was born March 19, 1935, in Albert Lea, the son of Chet and Matie Peterson. On July 14, 1956, he was united in marriage to Jeanette Cashman. They raised three children: Diane, Tom and Jerry. They were lifelong members of First Baptist Church. Paul was also a member of the Jaycees, Kiwanis and the Elks Club. He had a diversity of jobs during his life, including dispatcher for the Albert Lea Police Department, member of the Albert Lea Fire Department, salesman for Minnesota Mutual Insurance, sales representative for R.J. Reynolds and Tremco and last was a security officer for the mall in Prescott Valley, Arizona. In addition to his full-time employment in Minnesota and Arizona, Paul was an active volunteer at the YMCA, a Boy Scout leader and Junior Achievement adviser. He sat on the board of trustees for Lea College, served as president of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Safety Council and served as trail coordinator for the Freeborn County Snowmobile Association. He was a volunteer for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department for nine years as a supervisor while in Arizona. In 2002 Paul received an award for Volunteer of the Year from the Arizona Governor’s Council on Aging. Paul and Jeanette were lifelong campers starting when daughter, Diane, was just 5 months old, camping nearly every weekend of the summer. During the winter months, they loved to go snowmobiling around the county. While in Arizona, they joined the Central Arizona Roadriders Club, going on weekly motorcycle rides over a 12-year period. They also traveled much of the U.S. on their bike, pulling a small camper. Later they transitioned from motorcycling to four-wheeling, buying a Jeep to go exploring in the mountains of Colorado and Arizona.

Survivors include children Diane (Ric) Fynbo, Tom (MaryKay) Peterson and Jerry (Beth) Peterson; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and sisters Katherine (Dennis) Will, Margaret Boyer and Elizabeth (Bruce) Nelson. Paul was preceded in death by his wife Jeanette; parents Chet and Matie Peterson; and brothers-in-law Francis Boyer and Jim Cashman.