Donald "Pete" Allen Peterson

Donald A. “Pete” Peterson passed away unexpectedly from natural causes, unrelated to the current pandemic on December 26, 2020, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, MT. Don was born on Father’s Day, June 17, 1945, in New Rockford, ND. His parents, Ernest and Adeline Peterson, lived in Warwick, ND at that time, along with Don’s older brother, David. The family moved to Montana in 1950, first living in Great Falls, then moving to Cut Bank for a few years, and then moving back to Great Falls where they would remain. He had recalled memories of Cut Bank to his family: “We moved to Cut Bank from Great Falls in late winter of 1951. My dad, Ernie Peterson, had been transferred there by Gamble Stores. Mom (Adeline) and my brother (Dave) accompanied. We first moved into a brick four-plex on the SE part of town. Jimmy lived next door and we were soon ranging the coulees across the street playing Cowboys and Indians. I can still see the layers of sandstone in that coulee as if it was this morning. They’ve since been buried for many years as the town grew. Wilderness was across the street in that coulee. We’d take that route down to Cut Bank Creek, and I can remember the concrete remnants of what I think may have been a dam. I can still smell the sweet and tangy air from the fragrance of all the plants, flowers and brush growing above the steep walls along the creek. Somewhere along the bluffs above the creek we discovered what I thought was a whole log of petrified wood. It was beneath a ledge of rocks and covered in tall brush. Don’t know if I could find that spot today, though. The gold eye fishing there was great near that old concrete dam! We also spent time downtown. In the summer of 1952, there was a local newspaper that we used to distribute, but I can’t remember if we did it for fun or for pay. I don’t think it mattered, as it was a lot of fun. I still can see the colored card stock movie schedules from the State Theatre. We’d love go to the show with mom and dad and popcorn came in a very small brown paper sack. My sister, Mary, was born there in 1950. Charlie and his mom and dad built a new house across the alley from us. I can remember the Halloween night of 1951, was ruined for us kids because of a bad snowstorm and cold temperatures. There must have been a foot of snow! Early in 1952, we moved over to the west side of town. I loved that area because we lived closer to the creek. I spent every day there that I could. We went exploring, playing, swimming, fishing and so on. Merrill and I would spend a lot of time exploring the steep bluffs above the creek. We were always equipped with plenty of rope just in case we had to scale an important cliff or two. The railroad trestle was a special attraction when the trains would pass by. For Christmas in 1952, my older brother got a new Winchester 22 and I was given a new Daisy pump-action BB gun. Right after dinner we went down to the creek upstream from the trestle and slid down the hill. The ground was so frozen, it was all my older brother, Dave, could do to get us both back up that steep slope and on home. Boy was it cold! And snow! I remember the drifts coming off the eaves of our house and tapering off to the east all the way to the alley. The little apartments near our home (old converted railroad coaches) were snowed in for what seemed like weeks. I spent a lot of days that winter shooting my new BB gun in my friend David’s basement. I can still remember the smell of that new BB gun! The circus came to town in early summer 1953, and we kids got caught trying to peek inside one of the tents. That summer of 1953, was the best time I can ever remember! It seems like I spent the entire summer along that creek, exploring and just building some of the best memories of my life! We left in September 1953, and moved back to Great Falls, but I will always remember Cut Bank as my most favorite place!” Don graduated from Great Falls High School in 1963. He worked at the downtown Safeway store on 1st Avenue North, near where IGA is today, and eventually became the Produce Manager. During that time, Don enlisted in the Montana Air National Guard in May 1965. In December 1966, he accepted a full-time position in Base Supply. Don would eventually make promotion to Master Sergeant (E-7). In February 1980, he was commissioned as a Captain. Don served over 30 years and retired as a Major in 1995. While serving, Don received many awards to include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and three Air Force Achievement Medals. While a senior in high school, he met his beautiful bride, Cherie, but they would not go on their first (blind) date until August 16, 1963. Don and Cherie were engaged on August 16, 1965, and married October 8, 1965. They recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. He loved spending time with family. He would take them fishing and camping, along with his father-in-law, Orville Schmidt, or his best friend, Neal Silber, to places such as Lake Francis, Tiber Reservoir, Pishkun Reservoir, Holter Dam, Nilan Reservoir, Bean Lake, Split Rock Lake, Willow Creek Reservoir, and up and down the Missouri River between Holter Dam and Loma. There they would catch Walleye, Northern Pike, Perch, and several species of trout; and Don would fillet each one lickety-split, especially if a thunderstorm was coming in. Another favorite event he loved with his family was the annual trek to Logan Pass Visitor Center along the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Park on the first weekend the road was cleared of snow and open in the spring. When his children were young, he and Orville would pile everyone in and convoy their two identical 1966 marina blue Chevrolet Impala coupes up to the visitor center for some lunch and breathtaking scenery. Being of direct Norwegian descent, one of Don’s favorite holiday activities was making lefse with his wife, Cherie, for his family while pretending to speak in a thick Norwegian accent, Uff Da! Don also enjoyed driving his family around town to look at all the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. He would also dress up as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve to visit his grandson, Tyler. One Christmas, Tyler thought he had caught on and knew for sure Grandpa was behind the Santa suit, because Grandpa was always checking on something in the garage when Santa showed up. Boy, did Don fool him! After Don got up and went outside to the garage, Santa came knocking on the door. While Tyler sat on Santa’s lap with the grin of a Cheshire cat, Don came in the back door. Yes, Tyler was absolutely beside himself! Don also loved spending time with his family searching for and collecting arrowheads; collecting different kinds of rock for lapidary, such as agate, jasper, and petrified wood; and picking chokecherries for making jam, syrup, and wine. Don took a special interest in his son’s military career. As a commissioned officer, Don gave the initial Oath of Enlistment to Eric when he joined the Army and also every time Eric reenlisted during Eric’s 34 year career. Don’s signature is the only commissioned officer signature on all of his son’s enlistment/reenlistment forms. Don also shared a special bond with his daughter. Beth was born on the 17th of June, her dad’s birthday. How’s that for timing? He was very close to his grandsons and greatly enjoyed the time they spent together. Tyler said of his grandfather, “Over the years he has shared his wisdom from personal experiences, been there to answer questions and supply me with knowledgeable advice to better my future. He has been like a second Father, helping me grow and develop with the knowledge to ready me for the coming world.” When Gavin and Brandon visited, they were always ready to give Grandpa the best hugs and backrubs. Grandpa would listen attentively to every detail of their observations and adventure they shared with him. Don became a ham (amateur radio) operator in 1968, eventually gaining his Advanced license. His call sign was WA7JLA. He enjoyed spending Saturday and Sunday mornings of the 1970’s and 1980’s on the air and sharing the airwaves with his father-in-law, W7TLA, and his brother, K7CJO. They were influential in peaking Don’s interest of ham radio. He was also a do-it-yourselfer and completed many projects around his home with the help of his wife. He built a grand workbench with drawers and outlets in his garage. He and his wife completely finished the basement; installing a ¾ bathroom, a third bedroom, a great room, a laundry room, and his own “man cave” where he tied flies for fly fishing, made chokecherry wine, completed lapidary work on belt buckles and bolo ties, and spent time on his ham radio. They even made a second walk-through opening from the kitchen into the living room near the back door of the house and completely finished the inside of their dining room addition after it was constructed. Don and Eric constructed a deck off of the newly built dining room addition. Don thoroughly enjoyed history, both national and local, especially EVERYTHING concerning the Lewis and Clark expedition. He was a self-made expert on Lewis and Clark’s travels through central Montana; and as anyone who knows him can attest, he unselfishly shared his knowledge with friends and strangers. As an ardent advocate of the Lewis and Clark story, it has been said that Don was “one of the most learned of the Lewis & Clark family of scholars.” You could give him a date from the Lewis and Clark expedition, and he would recite from memory word-for-word the excerpt from the journals. Don was a dedicated member of the Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation since 1990. During his membership, he served on the Portage Route Chapter Board of Directors and held all of the Chapter offices. As the grant writer for the Chapter, he wrote successful grants between 1999 and 2007 for approximately $124K. He authored a book of early scenes of the area called “Early Pictures of the Falls: A Lewis and Clark Portrait in Time.” It is a portfolio of early pictures of the falls taken before the hydroelectric dams were built in the Great Falls area. He did tours for History America Tours with Gary Moulton, Steve Ambrose Tours, Creative World Travel, Adventure Caravans, Winnebago-Itasca Travel, and numerous private guests over the years. On his more public side, he did interviews for National Public Radio, Detroit Free Press, Seattle Times, and consulted with numerous national authors, writers and publishers including Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. He also contributed to the national bicentennial Lewis and Clark documentary. He did film segments for film producers from Canada and from Europe as well as Voice of America Television concerning Lewis and Clark. In 2008, Don received the Foundation’s national Distinguished Service Award for his commitment. He is survived by his loving wife, Cherie; their children, Eric (Jill) Peterson and Beth (Garret) Weninger; their much-loved grandchildren, Tyler Peterson and Gavin and Brandon Weninger; several step-grandchildren; brother, David (Joy) Peterson; sisters, Mary (Jim) Swaby and JoAnn (Tom) Hayes; and many nieces and nephews. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Adeline Peterson, and his in-laws, Orville and Dorothy Schmidt. Per Don’s request, there will be no services held and only a private family gathering. Memorials can be sent to the Portage Route Chapter, P.O. Box 2424, Great Falls, MT59403.