Bent Edvard Petersen

July 31, 1942 - April 3, 2014

Former Corvallis resident Doctor Bent Edvard Petersen passed away April 3, 2014, at his home in Yachats. He was 71 years old.

Bent was born in 1942 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Edvard and Grethe Petersen. As a child, he emigrated with his family to Ontario, Canada, where he naturalized as a Canadian citizen. By his own account he was an inveterate troublemaker, but a good student nonetheless. Later the family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where Bent attended Vancouver Technical School, Magee High School and University of British Columbia.

As a student, Bent often distinguished himself; he won awards in mathematics and earned the distinguished Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At UBC Bent met his future sweetheart, Marg McCrindle, over a conversation about religion in which he called her a goddess. They were married in 1965 and moved to Cambridge, Mass., that year.

At MIT, Bent studied first physics and then mathematics, after having an argument with a physicist that he realized was "largely mathematical in nature" thus he discovered that math was his true passion. He completed his doctorate in mathematics at MIT in 1968. Bent and Marg then moved to Corvallis, where Bent took a job as a math professor at Oregon State University and taught for 40 years.

Bent's research interests were in the fields of analysis, several complex variables, operational calculus, pseudo-differential operators, linear mathematics, and aspects of these areas where Fourier analysis is the principal technique. In 1983 he published a book, "Introduction to the Fourier Transform and Pseudo-Differential Operators."

Bent was passionate about many things, from science to language, and had impressive book, music and movie collections. He fluently spoke English and Danish, and could read in several other languages. He played several musical instruments, and enjoyed singing opera and drinking beer while grading papers. In 2001, he and Marg moved to Yachats, as they had always loved the Oregon Coast.

In 2008, Bent retired from OSU and enjoyed reading scientific journals, collecting swords and taking walks around the lovely town of Yachats. His family and grandchildren visited often.

Bent is survived by his wife, Marguerite Petersen (née McCrindle); his sister, Betty Corradi (née Petersen); his sons, Erik Petersen and Poul Petersen; daughter, Kirsten Petersen; nephews, John Corradi, Michael Corradi and Bruce McCrindle; niece, Liz McCrindle Weir; and seven grandchildren, Sonja, Lee, Rory, Alexandra, Jesa, Penelope and Aren.

He leaves behind a legacy of dry humor, quick wit and intellectual curiosity, which those who knew him well will carry on.

At Bent's request, there will be no funeral. The family requests that no flowers be sent.