John Peterson II

John Fredrick Peterson, II

January 25, 1927 – July 4, 2024

 John Fredrick Peterson II, 97, of Missoula, passed peacefully the evening of July 4, 2024, at St. Patrick Hospital of natural causes.

Born January 25, 1927, in Duluth, MN to John F. Peterson Sr. and Laura Rosamund LaPine, he was the first of 4 children this couple raised. John Peterson Sr. (born 12/26/1895), was an immigrant to the United States from his native Sweden in 1902 through Ellis Island with his parents and siblings Ellen and Karl. Laura LaPine was born (September 24, 1900) to Gertrude Sampson and Joseph LaPine in Duluth and was of Norwegian, and French-Canadian descent.

John II (nicknamed Jack by family and later Pete by friends in Montana) attended public elementary schools in Lampson, WI and Duluth and Central High School in Duluth. John’s father worked for the Northern Pacific railroad and summers found all the Peterson boys doing work for the railroad and at the family farm in Wright, MN. John also played hockey through his youth as a goalie. John never lost his fondness for trains, and the family took to the rails several times for family visits. In his later years he and daughter Jackie did a planes, trains and automobiles excursion to visit family in Minnesota.

John served in the US Army in WWII and did tours in the US and Europe and was part of the occupation forces stationed in Garmisch, Germany. Upon returning to the United States after the war he spent a summer working at the family farm in Wright, MN with his brother Bill (also a returning WWII vet) and later attended the University of Minnesota at Duluth, graduating with a degree in Business. John took that degree and went to work for the First Bank system, starting as a teller in Forsyth, MT. Later he became a bank examiner traveling around the mid-west & west auditing various banks for the parent company.

Missoula was a frequent stop on his auditing route and when in Missoula, as an Elks Club member, he enjoyed boarding at the club and while there visited the lounge periodically and met a waitress, Doris Brown, who on June 25, 1960, became his wife. They soon had two children, Jacqueline Anne, and John Fredrick III.

John/Pete was an active outdoorsman who early on enjoyed fishing, ski jumping at Chester Bowl in Duluth, downhill skiing wherever the snow was good, golf (in the late 50’s John/Pete was a scratch golfer), and baseball. Prior to getting married he coached little league in Missoula and after he retired, volunteered at the Westside ballfields as an impromptu coach; one that the kids could not wait to see arrive as they enjoyed the extra individual attention on catching, batting, and running the bases. Favorite baseball player, like so many of his generation, Ted Williams.

John and Doris took their kids camping early and often exploring campgrounds and KOAs all over Montana and vacationed throughout the Pacific Northwest, the Dakotas and Minnesota. Later the family enjoyed a cabin on Lake Inez in the Swan Valley and spent many a weekend on their pontoon boat, relaxing with visiting friends/family as well as occasional excursions huckleberry picking and listening to the loons in the evening by the fire.

John was an active member of the Red Cross & United Way as a treasurer, the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, Montana Fish & Game Assn., and a National Ski Patrol member. He patrolled for years at Marshall Ski Area, where he taught both kids to ski on breaks while mom protected the bologna sandwiches and hot chocolate in the lodge. Both John and Doris worked at the Western Montana (Missoula Co.) Fair for years. John handled the parimutuel bank when horse racing was king at the annual Fair and Doris handled the racing programs concession. John and Doris enjoyed active, long-term memberships with the Missoula Southside Lions Club participating with local community activities while John also held all elected and appointed offices including Past President and District positions. They not only shared camaraderie and community service with fellow local Lions Club members including establishment of the Southside Lions Park on Bow St. In Missoula, but also with members from Canada. Barn dances in Missoula and Alberta and summer picnics were regular family fun for all the Petersons with their Lions Club friends.

John retired from banking after 33 years as a Vice President and Manager of the Real Estate Loan Department at First Bank Southside in 1984 with a “John Peterson Day” party hosted by the bank. Many a customer commented that day that, “John helped us get our first house….” 

While John/Pete and Doris continued to travel to visit friends and family John/Pete also continued to work periodically, driving a school bus, assisting seniors with tax preparation, driving for Squire Simmons and Carr funeral home, and, even after Doris passed, as a substitute camp host at area campgrounds, a volunteer for Missoula First Night celebrations and a periodic volunteer at Traveler’s Rest.

As an honored WWII veteran John enjoyed the breakfasts and an occasional holiday meal with the local American Legion, Post 27. He thoroughly enjoyed joining other vets for an Honor Flight to D.C. in 2013. Daughter Jackie was thrilled to accompany her dad on that often emotional but very celebratory event. John/Pete also volunteered for years at the Museum of Mountain Flying at Johnson Bell Field (Missoula Int’l Airport) and as an avid aviation admirer, supported the Miss Montana WWII aircraft restoration project. The aircraft (an Army C-47) was flown to Europe in 2019 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy and in its early years was used by smokejumpers and involved in the devastating Mann Gulch fire of 1949 in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.

John/Jack/Pete/Dad/Uncle Pete/Jack was a thoughtful, caring, steadfast, honorable, and delightful man with a dry sense of humor and an impish streak that inspired various pranks including locking his daughter out of the house and sneaking to the basement just to spook her while she was caring for him in his home. He grilled a mean Montana steak to medium rare perfection, made delicious beef jerky and was the weekend pancake king when the kids were little, especially while camping. At home, he would often hand daughter Jackie a recipe clipped from a magazine saying, “Let’s give this a try…see if we like it.” He never lost his fondness for chipped beef on toast, corned beef hash or SPAM (a camping staple). He was good in the kitchen and always “right there” to help with clean-up! He was also a self-acknowledged homemade cookie and ice cream connoisseur. He enjoyed random excursions up mountain roads, “…let’s just see where this one goes…,” and random stops to wet a line on the Clark Fork, behind Fort Missoula, down the Bitterroot or up the Blackfoot. In later years, father and daughter enjoyed tying flies together, and during the winter he would often craft model planes and other vehicles. A model replica of the USS Arizona, by him, is at the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History at Fort Missoula.

John was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Bill (in 2008) and Dick (2022), wife Doris (April 5, 2000) and son John (Dec. 24, 2022). Son John’s remains will also be interred with his parents.

John/Pete is survived by his sister Patricia Ebel, Cloquet, MN, daughter Jacqueline/Jackie (Seattle/Missoula) and dozens of nieces and nephews.

The family is deeply appreciative of the care of the doctors and nurses at St. Patrick Hospital, Jason and Leslie and their enduring home nursing and physical therapy care from Partners in Home Care and the caregivers and staff at Case Management Caregiving.

A graveside service will be Thursday, July 25, 2024, 10 a.m. with military honors at Sunset Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made locally to the Red Cross, National Ski Patrol, American Legion, Trout Unlimited or American Diabetes Association.