Menu
Search by Name
Search by Name
Jim Peterson Obituary
PETERSON, Jim With great sorrow, the family of Jim Peterson announces his passing in Yellowknife, NWT on April 15, 2008. Born in northern Ontario, Jim found a home in the North in 1979 while he was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. A few years later, he fulfilled his life-long dream with the opening of a lodge on the sandy shoreline of Point Lake, in the Northwest Territories. Through Jim's hard work, passion and dedication, Peterson's Point Lake Lodge has developed an international reputation as a first-class hunting and fishing destination. Visitors from all over the world made long-lasting friendships with Jim and each other. He was a tireless promoter of and a terrific ambassador for tourism in the Northwest Territories. A devoted husband, father and friend, Jim will be greatly missed by all who know him. Jim is survived by his loving wife, Margaret, son Chad and daughter Amanda. Ingrid, Nelly, Shirley and Bobby have all lost a very special brother. We know you've left us, but you'll never leave our hearts, for nothing loved is ever lost. You have touched so many lives and blessed so many with your friendship. A funeral service was held in Yellowknife on Saturday, April 19th and a celebration of Jim's life will be held in the future. Donations to assist with the summer construction of a unique memorial near Peterson's Point Lake Lodge can be made to Margaret Peterson in Trust of Jim Peterson at any RBC branch. 461687
Memories and Condolences
for Jim Peterson
15 Entries
Dawn Santee
June 1, 2008
Dear Jim,
On 23May there was a celebration of your life. Amanda planned a very nice party and Margaret was the gracious hostess as you would know. Many people helped with setting up the day of the party. Most of your friends were able to come and there were tales told of great memories of you. Chad got up and read a very special letter from George and he also told a memorable story of when you and him went hunting up at Point Lake at close-up when everyone else was gone and it was just the two of you there. Chad misses you very much.
I sure do miss you too Jim everything is different now and it is hard not having you around, but I know you are in the eagle soaring high above watching over us, you are in the gentle breezes swaying the birch trees at the cabin and you are in the wind sweeping across the eskers up at Point Lake. Let the moon and the stars help you guide your family during this stressful time.
I miss your appreciation of quiet moments and your goofy sense of humor too.
So long for now my dear friend. Until we meet again.
Lots of Love and a Big Bear Hug.
Dawn
Phil Palmer
May 25, 2008
I would like to express my thanks the the Peterson Family for the wonderful memory's I have of Peterson Point Lake. My thoughts and prayers are with the wonderful family Jim has left behind. Of all the "big time" outfitted hunts I have been on, the experience I had on this hunting trip too Point Lake will always stand out in my mind as one of the very best. From the moment Margaret met us at the air port, until Jim waved goodby as we borded the plane to leave Point Lake it was a "World Record Experience".
I have taken many Trophy animals over the years, but the true Trophy is the one that stands out in your mind. The total experience is the real Trophy and Jim made sure we all took home a Trophy. The BOSS MAN as Paul explained was someone that was totally dedicated too making sure everyone had a very memorable experience. Within a few hours he knew everyones name and would address you by name from then on. He would come by each cabin to make sure everything was OK. You could tell all his staff were there because they enjoyed working for a Man that treated everyone with respect. I remember hearing Jim say " we love you Americans, you help keep Canada green". Paul refered to his friend as a man that ran a first-class lodge (which it was) with a bit of an iron-fist. I happened too be at the lodge one year when the "Boss Man" had a bit of a difference of opinion with the cook. Well you can guess who won out in that difference of opinion. The cook was (should I say) relieved of her duties mid-week and the "Boss Man" was the cook for the rest of the week. He wanted to make sure his guests were receiving the very best when it came to the meals the lodge provided and the only way he could do that was to do the cooking himself. I think a fast call was made too Margaret & Amanda saying he needed a new cook on the next plane coming in.
I have looked at the web site for Petersons Point Lake Lodge many times since my trip there and look forward to receiving the annual newsletter. I am sure the memory's of Jim will live on forever at Point Lake as well they should, and I look forward to one day coming back.
To Margaret, my prayers are with you and your family and to Chad and Amanda, you have a great tradition to continue. All the best to the family and that includes the entire staff which was like one large family.
Phil Palmer (Ogden, Utah)
ingrid traviss
May 22, 2008
It seems like only yesterday that my mother brought home my baby brother and laid him in my arms,I remembered how I felt I just loved that little boy ,my mother had him later in life and said it would be my job to help raise him.I took that job gladly he was like a toy to me ,we grew very close in those early years what a treat it has been for me to see him grow and have the good luck to find Margaret and the family they had .We have been blessed to have had Jim for those 64yrs.I will always miss him from his oldest sister Ingrid
Joanne Edwards
May 22, 2008
Just a girl from Ontario, never being in the North, Jim took the chance in hiring me to Cook at PPLL for the summer season in 2002. After meeting Jim and his family I knew that this was a very special Clan. Their dedication to the Lodge, the Guests, the Guides and to eachother was amazing. I was proud to be part of that group for four seasons.
Jim had such a passion for the North it was contagious. I know for myself the North holds a truly
special place in my heart and I owe that to Jim. Going to Point Lake and meeting Jim opened up a whole new world for me.
I will miss my Boss this summer on my return to Point Lake, but I look forward to the great memories. Joanne (Cookie)
Rex Earl
May 14, 2008
My thoughts and prayers are with the Peterson Family. It was one of the best hunting camps I have ever been to. Jim made the hunt and the Camp Fun.
Janice Burgess
May 13, 2008
Amanda, I was so saddened to hear about your loss. My heart and thoughts go out to you and your family. I may not have known your Dad all that well, but he lived through you- so I know he was a great man! Miss you- Janice
Shane Laye
May 10, 2008
After reading the things that have been written here for Jim by his friends I realize that I can not come up with the words that would even come close to what I would like to say about Jim.
He was an influence in my life perhaps greater than any I've ever had or ever will have and I find myself trying to live my life by the guidelines that he lived by.
The memories of time spent at Point Lake with Jim whether it was in camp or out hunting caribou with him will always be as clear as if they happened yesterday for me.
From Jim I learned a true appreciation for the land and the animals and the people that I met at Point Lake. But more than anything I appreciate the oppurtunity I had to meet and spend time with an amazing man named Jim Peterson and that I am friends with his family.
Thank you, Jim, for the memories, the advice, and the confidence you had in me.
Shane Laye
John Lee
May 7, 2008
I first met Jim in the early 80's when he was teaching a wilderness survival course. I liked him immediately, especially his down to earth practicality. Our paths would cross occasionally in town after that, but mostly just as familiar faces. It wasn't until the late 80's when through a series of coincidences, I began working as a hunting guide at Point Lake. This kind of thing was a bit new to me, but Jim had a way of instilling confidence in you.
He was a great guy to work for. He gave us all the freedom to run our days as we saw fit. He was always ready to offer suggestions if he was asked. He knew the lake and the surrounding country so well. On bad weather days, he would be down at the beach to see the boats off. When the wind was high and the big waves were on shore, he would get his chest waders on and get right into the lake with the boats. He would hold the boats into the waves until we could get the motors started and could safely pull away. I have this wonderful memory of glancing back on such a morning and seeing Jim up to his waist in water, being buffeted by the waves, with his hand raised in a gesture of good luck.
He was always worried about the boats if they were late. He would start pacing and staring down the lake as the time dragged on. He was not relaxed until, like a mother hen, he had all the boys back in camp. Coming in at the end of a long day, it was always a heartening sight to see the quad barreling down the hill to the beach with Jim firmly astride the machine. He would help load up the meat and antlers to move to the meat shed, and always listened to the inevitable stories about where we went and how we made out.
I am having a hard time getting my head around the fact that he is actually gone. I am looking forward to meeting him again and hearing his boisterous greeting of "Hey, Johnnie".
George Kimmel
May 7, 2008
Jim was my friend and adopted brother. Jim was the reason I made a once in a lifetime trip to Point Lake sixteen times. The days I spent with the " Boss Man" are some of my most special memories. My prayers go out to Margaret, Chad, and Amanda. They were truly blessed to have Jim as a husband and father. I know I was blessed to have Jim as a friend and brother. I miss my buddy.
Norm & Edith Mair
May 6, 2008
Jim Peterson was one of the most successful Hunting and Fishing Company Operators in the Northwest Territories. And his success was no fluke. His success was based on hard work, on treating his employees with fairness, and giving them clear directions on what he expected of them.
He provided quality equipment for both fishing and hunting, and made sure that his Guides were all certified and well-trained, and equipped to handle emergencies should the need arise. The return of clients year after year is evidence of their high level of satisfaction with the Point Lake Operation as developed and implemented.
Aside from the business aspects, Jim was a true personal friend, whose company we enjoyed at every meeting. He will be sadly missed, and forever remembered.
Paul Jones
May 3, 2008
For those who couldn't be at the funeral, what follows is part of the eulogy I delivered - -
I’m proud to say that Jim Peterson is my best friend and I’ve been proud to wear a Peterson’s Point Lake hat during each of the past 21 summers while working as a hunting guide for Jim.
Now, when I say WORKING for Jim, that’s not quite right. It never seemed like work. All the guides who’ve been part of the operation at Point Lake refer to Jim as “Boss Man,” but we never think of him as a boss – he’s our colleague.
Together we’ve pushed, pulled, carried, lifted, hammered, pried, shovelled, cut, wrapped, ate, drank, slept, rode, argued, celebrated, watched, listened, sat in silence, marvelled …
We’ve spent countless hours tromping across that beautiful part of the world – the tundra around Point Lake - looking for caribou or riding for hours and hours in a boat. It’s not because we guides have to be there, but rather because we want to be there. We all share a common affection and respect for and admiration of Jim and in being part of the Peterson family business.
Jim was a great story-teller, a great entertainer. He was both the perpetrator and the victim of a lot of practical jokes at Point Lake.
His stories and his language were colourful and Jim always managed to embellish those stories a little bit more each year.
Many times when Jim got to laughing, he just couldn’t control himself – there’d be tears rolling down his cheeks and he had to hold on to his sides because they were hurting from laughing so hard. Jim made other people do the same with some of his antics.
There have been hundreds and hundreds of guests at Point Lake Lodge over the past 20+ years. Many people returned to hunt or fish time after time because they’d had such a great experience during their first visit … they had a first-class experience, at a first-class lodge run, sometimes with a bit of an iron-fist, by a first-class friend.
Everyone hasn’t always agreed with Jim’s way of doing things … with Jim’s views on bureaucracy, politics, people. He was never afraid to voice his opinion and as a result he’s rubbed a few people the wrong way over the years ... me among them.
He was known, at times, to be a little grouchy, a little bit short, a little tight-lipped … on the outside.
On the inside, my best friend had a soft touch and a warm, caring heart. Some people didn’t always see that in the public Jim. Those who knew him privately saw it often.
Jim liked to hug people. I was always struck by those shows of affection, particularly when it happened between two grown men wearing a lot of camouflage clothing on the beach at Point Lake.
Sometimes I think Point Lake was more Jim’s home than his house in Yellowknife. He was truly excited in the days before he headed out there every summer, and disappointed, come September, that the two-month season had gone by so quickly and he had to return to town.
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. That was Jim.
Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget. That was Jim.
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg, even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. That was Jim.
We all lose friends … we lose them in death, to distance and over time. But even though they may be lost, hope is not. The key is to keep them in your heart, and when the time is right, you can pick up the friendship right where you left off.
Amanda, Margaret … you are two amazing women. Your strength and spirit and optimism over the past few months have been incredible. It’s been a real eye-opener for me … and I’m sure a lot of other people share my admiration of you both. Chad, you have some mighty big shoes to fill. To each of you … I’m honoured to be your friend.
Recently, I was flying in from up north and I was looking down on the still-frozen, white tundra landscape. But I was looking at it in a way that I never have before. I was thinking about it from Jim’s perspective now.
He’s not looking at a frozen white landscape. Jim is now perpetually seeing the tundra in its beautiful early September colours … the brilliant reds and oranges and yellows.
Jim is seeing a land full of lakes and every one of those lakes is full of fat, healthy trout …they’re all 40-pounders and he’s got a tackle box full of shiny lures.
And Jim’s landscape now is full of caribou and in his eyes each one is a gorgeous bull with a magnificent set of antlers and he has an endless supply of bullets.
There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm. The storm has passed for Jim. That rainbow is now shining on my best friend.
Goodbye Boss Man, goodbye my friend.
Lynda Joly
May 2, 2008
Margaret, Chad & Amanda, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss of your soulmate, Margaret & a wonderful Father to his children. Remember you all with very fond, happy memories in Bell's Corners as neighbours and friends.
Our thoughts & prayers are with you at this time.
Very Sincerely,
Lynda Joly, Vera Bayley, Jeff Joly & Family, and Russel Joly.
Jack /Marlene Levesque
May 1, 2008
Margaret,Chad,Amanda
Thinking of you on this sad occasion, hoping that your memories of Jim will help sustain you in this time of sadness. No one can know exactly how you feel but may it help to know that many thoughts and prayers are with you. We are here if you need us, because we know that you would do the same. Our deepest sympathy for your loss.
Folke Nordung
April 28, 2008
Dear Margaret, Chad and Amanda,
I would like to express my condolences on the passing of Jim.
I share your mourning. I lost my cousin whom I hoped to meet
on his visit to The Old Country. You lost Husband and Father.
// Cousin Folke
Sharron Wickens
April 26, 2008
Margaret, Gord and I would like to express our condolences on the passing of Jim. We lost track of you and often wondered where you settled after you left Victoria. We have thought of you often and have wonderful memories of you both.
Showing 1 - 15 of 15 results