Richard Dee Peterson

Our, brother, and legendary uncle, Richard Dee Peterson, passed away Sunday morning, May 31. He was 63. We like to imagine that Rich (Uncle Richie) arrived in heaven, and announced himself with a, “Hey, You Guys,” I like to think our parents heard him and rushed to meet him, squeeze him, and tell him how much they missed him and loved him, and to tell him how proud of him they were that he fought his battles longer and harder than was humanly possible.

He wouldn’t want us to be sad. Actually, maybe he would. He might get a kick out of that. He did have a wicked sense of humor, but he wouldn’t want a lot of fuss. We won’t have a big funeral service - he wouldn’t have wanted that. However, we do want the world to know a little bit about this special man that touched our lives and many of yours. There are quite a few of you out there lucky enough to have had a mantle carved by Rich. His craftsmanship was something that you would only find two, maybe three hundred years ago, elaborately and intricately detailed: hummingbirds and butterflies flitting, eagles soaring, baskets of flowers, bears fishing, buffalo in a mountain landscape, elk in a forest. They were amazing, and we were inspired. His tool collection alone is inspiring. Bob Villa would be deep green jealous.

He was a truly creative man. He played the electric guitar like a rock star and wore his hair that way, too - the man came of age in the 80’s. He could fix anything: lawnmowers, bikes, doorbells, cars, radios, watches. These things always amazed us, but the one role he filled so well was that of uncle. The grandkids nearly have the entire script of “The Goonies” memorized. They played ghosts in the graveyard longer than they should. He was interested in each one of them, and talked to them like a human being. He always secretly shared a piece of watermelon hubba bubba bubblegum, or a brach’s candy pumpkin. We knew, by the way, and we thought it was pretty adorable. They loved it. And, we loved him.

We are so grateful for him and these memories of him. Although, we may have bugged him a little. He was such an interesting, complicated man: a little prickly, very funny, kind and thoughtful. The best gift-giver, so generous, but also a bit of a recluse. Life was pretty hard for him. We wish it would not have been. We wish he could have stayed longer. We believe he has gone to a heavenly home. We hope that he's busy working on a big, beautiful project; carving, tapping, scraping, and sanding, with Dad close by complaining about the dust and wood shavings. We know that the things he made were a reflection of exactly who he always was inside; fine and beautiful.

He is preceded in death by his parents Carl and Helen Peterson, and his sister-in-law, Annette Peterson. He is survived by his siblings and their families. His brothers, Ronald and Cheryl Peterson and Steven and Julie Peterson. Also, his sisters, Susan and Stephen Bennett and Janette and James Harned. We would be honored for you to join us for a graveside service in his honor on Saturday, June 13, at Clinton cemetery, at 11:00 am.