John William Peterson Jr.

John W. Peterson, Jr., 89, beloved husband of Blanche (Sorensen) and father of five children, passed away at his home in Burke, VA, on March 3, 2026. A resident of Burke since 1978, John was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, on July 25, 1936, to John and Gertrude (Hagerty). He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1959 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering, and continued his education by obtaining an M.A. in Public Administration from Central Michigan University in 1973, and an LL.B. (JD) in Law from LaSalle University in 1974. He was commissioned in the United States Army in 1959, retiring as an infantry colonel in 1991 after a 32-year active and active reserve career.

John had a successful 40-year career with the United States Department of Agriculture, where he planned and constructed watershed projects in Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, and Arizona, before working nationally in Washington, D.C. He retired from the Senior Executive Service in 1994 as the Assistant Chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS), one of the agency's top line officers in the career service. He also served as the SCS Deputy Chief for Administration. He founded KEMPS Consultants, Inc. with expertise in natural resources public policy, water resources, and erosion and sediment control in April 1994. From 1994 to 2004 John also served as the Executive Director of the National Watershed Coalition (NWC). In that role, he was the National Watershed Coalition's representative in Washington, D.C., and was the initial drafter and a lead champion for the successful passage of PL 106-472, the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Act of 2000. That was the first major USDA water resources legislation passed in over 22 years, and it allowed USDA to assist watershed sponsors in bringing their dams up to current safety standards. John was recognized internationally for his expertise in watershed planning, dam safety, and erosion and sediment control. He directed USDA's Watershed Programs nationally for six years. He was a three-term president of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), past IECA Mid-Atlantic Chapter President, and a Fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). He belonged to the Land Improvement Contractor's Association and served as a volunteer conference manger with the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. He served as a locally-elected director and chairman of the board of the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District in Fairfax County, VA, and was also on the Board of Directors and past Board Chairman for EnviroCert International, Inc.

John's life reflected his love of family, faith, travel, and sports. In addition to his professional accomplishments, John was deeply involved in the lives of his family and an active member of the community. Being an Eagle Scout himself, John served as both a Pack Leader and a Troop Leader for his sons. He enjoyed a variety of sports, coaching Little League Baseball and acting as a scorekeeper for the Lake Braddock Girl's Softball Team. He was known to root for local sports teams at all levels, including GMU basketball, the Potomac Cannon's/National's baseball team, and the Baltimore Ravens, not to mention the

university sports teams of his children's alma maters. A lifelong Catholic, he was a parishioner at Nativity Catholic Church in Burke for over 47 years. John and Blanche enjoyed traveling, visiting a multitude of countries such as India, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, England, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, China, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, in addition to visiting 49 of the United States. He was a past director of the Potomac Nationals Baseball Booster Club and was an elected director and president of the Time-Share Owners Association of the Ocean Cove at Palmetto Dunes Resort at Hilton Head Island, SC. One of the things John was proudest of is the John W. Peterson Agricultural Scholarship established by the Organization of Professional Employees of the US Department of Agriculture (OPEDA).

John is survived by his wife of 67 years, Blanche (Sorensen); their five children, Michael Peterson (Katie) of Manassas, VA; Patrick Peterson of Wrightsville Beach, NC; Kathie Bailey (Derek) of Leesburg, VA; Shannon Dube (Jeremy) of Cumberland, ME; and Erin Peterson of Harpers Ferry, WV; and his seven cherished grandchildren, whose professional, academic, and athletic accomplishments he actively followed and cheered on: Megan, Lilly, Emily, Sofia, Jack, William, and Ryan.

John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Gertrude Peterson, and brother Thomas Peterson and sister Mary Anne Peterson.

Donations can be made in John's memory to the VASWCD Educational Foundation, 7308 Hanover Green Drive, Suite 100, Mechanicsville, VA 23111