Obituary of Gary Peterson

Gary Peterson, 60, of South Range, died peacefully at St. Lukes Hospice on June 29, 2018. For those of you who knew Gary, you might say he had nine lives, as his mother Loretta would attest. Gary loved reading books about space and time, playing hockey, motorcycling, boating, 4-wheeling and spending time with his family and four legged friends. Gary would always say that his favorite part of living in the country was being able to "Pee" off the deck. During his last 6 years of retirement, he became and "old western" enthusiast. He loved watching all the old western classics and you would often see him sitting on the deck with his cowboy hat on. Gary spent a large part of his professional life as a registered nurse giving care and comfort to his many hospice patients in their homes. In the end, the compassion Gary gave as a nurse was returned by the wonderful and tender care of the St. Lukes Hospice staff and their volunteers. Gary was preceded in death by his father Vernon, his brother Mike, and his many cats, dogs and horses that crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" before him. He is survived by his wife Doreen of 24 years, his mother Loretta Peterson of Barnes, his sister Karlyn Schiess of Columbia Falls, MT, his mother -in-law Doris Magdzas, his special friends John Strobel, Jeff and Diane Fitzgerald, his many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. He will be sadly missed by his beloved dogs, Goldie, Jack, Jill, Dusty and Holly- his cats Shaggy, Hank, Scooby and Lottie. A celebration of Gary's life will be held at a later date.