Sid Peterson

PEORIA – Sid Peterson, 80, of East Peoria, died on Friday, February 6, 2026. He has now joined his parents and grandparents.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sandy, of 58 years. Also surviving are three children, Eric (Beth) Peterson of Glen Ellyn, Emily (Brian) Points of Germantown Hills, and Stephen (Michelle) Peterson of Morton; sister, Janet (Jim) Hardine of Galesburg; and seven grandchildren, Addison, Andrew, Sydney, Dean, Wynn, Ben, and Thayer.

He loved unconditionally his wife, children, and grandchildren. He enjoyed attending his children and grandchildren's school events, and grandchildren births. He remembered fondly babysitting his grandchildren and them learning to call him "Pops". He enjoyed having the family together and playing "Boo Pops" (Hide and Seek). He especially enjoyed family vacations when all children and grandchildren visited, Disneyworld, Jamaica, Captiva, and Maui. He was always concerned for his children and grandchildren, but also laughed a lot. His credo was: "Pops is here to help grandchildren get into mischief that they had not thought of yet." He was passionate about life and lived by the tenet that "growing old was mandatory, but growing up was optional".

He was born in Moline, Il on December 10, 1945 at 3:17 pm and weighed in at a healthy 7 pounds, 12 oz. and was 20 inches long to Earl and Crystal (Bengston) Peterson.

He graduated from Alwood High School in 1964 and Bradley University in 1971. He was salutatorian of his high school class and graduated "summa cum laude" from Bradley. He married Sandra Isaacson on November 12, 1967 at the Milan Methodist Church. He always enjoyed telling friends and family that when he graduated from Bradley, Sandy also earned her "PHT" (Putting Hubby Through).

He joined Caterpillar in 1966 as an electronic technician and retired in 2009 as an Information Technology Division Manager. His greatest pleasure as a Caterpillar manager was to mentor his staff. He tried to manage by "just wandering around" and liked to have his former employees call or ask themselves when confronted with a difficult situation "WWSD" (What Would Sid Do?). When asked what his responsibility was would often say he was responsible for deciding what color to paint Caterpillar tractors.

He was a member of Grace and Peace Lutheran Church for many years and served in a variety of positions. He enjoyed sharing God's love in a very non-threatening way. People sensed his deep spiritual feeling and often shared their inner most thoughts freely and with the assurance that those thoughts were safe with Sid.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home in Morton. Additionally, from 4 to 5 p.m. there will be a time to share "Sid Stories". This is a time to hear from those Sid impacted during his life. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, February 16, 2026, at Grace and Peace Lutheran Church, 7611 Knoxville Ave., Peoria, IL 61554. Further visitation will be held at the church prior to the service from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Burial will be at Swan Lake Memorial Gardens in Peoria.

Instead of flowers, Sid would hope that you will do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for someone less fortunate. Memorials can be made to Grace and Peace Lutheran Church, or Tazewell Animal Protective Society (TAPS), 100 TAPS Lane, Pekin, IL 61554.

Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family visit www.knappjohnson.com.