Obituary of Dean Russell Peterson

Dean Russell Peterson (99) died peacefully on April 12, 2024, after a brief illness, at VAMC in Minneapolis, MN, with his family at his side.

He is survived by his son Hal, his grand-daughter Stephanie (Nick Stark), two great-grandsons, Salem and Lazlo, step-daughter Kelly (Tom Burke), and nieces Kathryn Anne Merzouk and Tracy Lynn Bourke. He was born in Duluth on Dec. 2, 1924, the youngest son of Florence née Hansen and Elvwyn Lewis Peterson of Meadowlands. He was predeceased by his beloved wife and best friend Joyce, his brothers Jim and Robert, and his first wife Celia née Charnley.

Always stoic, Dean grew up on a farm in northern Wisconsin during the Depression. He served in the US Army in WWII. He was injured, taken prisoner, and held in a German POW camp. From the camp, he and his fellow prisoners witnessed the bombing of Dresden. The US Army awarded him the Bronze Star as well as the POW medal, but he was proudest of his Infantry pin. After his military service, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in civil engineering. He worked for US Steel on the Mesabi Range throughout his career. At early retirement, he and Joyce traveled the world, lived in New Mexico and eventually settled in Bend, OR. After Joyce's death in 2020, Dean moved back to Minnesota. He read voraciously from Jane Austen to Zane Grey, watched movies and documentaries and Perry Mason, and made friends with every dog he met. Despite the hearing loss he sustained in the war, Dean was an exceptionally good listener, a gifted problem-solver, a keen observer, and a master of understatement. He appreciated the absurdities of life almost as much as he appreciated dogs. His delighted laughter will be greatly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Dean's family is particularly grateful to the medical staff at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, who demonstrated phenomenal care, respect, support, and concern for him in his final weeks. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cremation Society of Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, please contribut