Norman Ferdinand Peterson

SPEARFISH - Norman Ferdinand Peterson died at his home in Spearfish, Monday, July 19, 2004, two weeks before his 90th birthday. His wife was at his bedside. Visitation will be from 4 - 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, 2004, at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, July 23, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Spearfish, with Rev. Kent Stillson officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery with full military honors provided by American Legion Post #164 and VFW Post #5860. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 1020 State Street, Spearfish, SD 57783. Norman was born on August 4, 1914, in Reeder, ND, to Andrew Olivious Peterson and Alma Rebecca Otterby Peterson. Before Norman entered first grade, the family sold the homestead in North Dakota and bought a farm in Roslyn, SD. Norman attended a country school in the Roslyn area during his elementary years, and attended Roslyn High School, graduating in 1932. Norman grew up enjoying the outdoors. He enjoyed skiing and skating with his sister Myrtle who was two years older than he, and his brother Clifford, younger by five years. He also trapped in the winter, and checked his trap lines every morning before going to school. His greatest catch was a prize mink which he tanned, sent to Denver, and received $58.00. This was a great amount of money for a youngster to receive in the Twenties. Norman joined the Civil Conservation Corps after graduating from high school. He was stationed in camps in the Black Hills and was assigned as a Medic in the corps. He then attended Business College in Aberdeen. After graduation he worked for a Transit Company, until his adventurous spirit took over and he started selling magazines throughout the Northwest. When he returned to Eastern South Dakota, he got a job at the Lampert Lumber Company in Sisseton. When war became imminent, Norman was drafted in to the Army Air Force and was stationed in Riverside, CA. On December 7, 1941, he came back from leave to find the base a complete black out. At this point he had no knowledge of the devastation of Pearl Harbor. A few hours later he was awakened to join the soldiers to round up the Japanese civilians to be taken to concentration camps. The next day his Commanding Officer flew a P47 over the Pacific Coastline looking for enemy submarines, using Norman as a gunner in an airplane. Norman was a novice to both flying and being a gunner in an airplane. His Commanding Officer told him to just pretend he was a farm boy hunting pheasants in South Dakota. Luckily there were no enemy submarines that close to our shores. On May 11, 1942, Norman married Arlene Edith Danielson in Riverside, CA. They resided there throughout the war years until 1945 when Norman was discharged and they returned to South Dakota. Norman worked in the lumber business for the rest of his career, first as an Assistant manager, and later a Manager of Lampert Lumber Company in Huron, Bristol, and finally in 1949 in Spearfish, where he worked until his retirement. Their only child, a daughter, Norma Arlene Peterson was born in Huron on June 30, 1946. She died in Spearfish on January 15, 1963. His career was Norman's greatest enjoyment. He never fitted well into retirement. As a young man he liked to hunt ducks and pheasants and he liked to fish. He raised beautiful gardens. In Huron he raised so many tomatoes that he sold them to the stores and even had a curbside stand where he sold his overabundance of tomatoes and other garden produce. Norman was Charter Member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Spearfish. He was also a member of the Lion's Club, American Legion, and Odd Fellows. He held many offices in these organizations. Survivors include his wife Arlene Peterson; brother Clifford (Lorraine) Peterson; brother-in-law Wendell Danielson; sisters-in-law Lois (Bernie) Keefe and Victoria Goodman; nephew Frederick (Judy) Amundson; nieces, Annabelle (Jerry) Timmer, Clarice (Jerry) Nelson, Marjorie (Dave) Cain, and Jane (Lee) Svatos. He was preceded in death by his daughter Norma Arlene; his parents A.O. and Alma Peterson; and sister Myrtle Larson. Arrangements have been placed in the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel, Spearfish.