PLEASE NOTE: THIS FUNERAL HAS BEEN CHANGED TO THURSDAY MARCH 26-10:30 AM-DUE TO THE WEATHER

Robert Leonard Peterson, age 93, died on Thursday, March 19, 2009, at Pioneer Memorial Care Center at Erskine, MN. He was a hard working, frugal, good and honest man much loved by his family. May he rest in peace.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday with prayer service at 7 at Johnson Funeral Service at Red Lake Falls, MN and for one hour prior to the service, Wednesday.

Funeral services will be at St. John's Lutheran Church in Red Lake Falls at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Burial will be at the First English Lutheran Church Cemetery near Mentor.

Robert Leonard Peterson was born at home on February 14, 1916, in Brainerd, Minnesota, the first child of Miranda Esther (White) and Axel Peterson.

The family moved to a farm east of Pine River, MN, in August of 1917. Bob graduated from Pine River High School on June 1, 1934. While he was in high school, he lived with his mother's parents Bessie (Olson) and Frank White, who lived just four miles from town. It was a shorter walk to school than from his parents' farm nine miles from town.

After graduation, he helped with the farm work at home in the summer and in the winter worked in the woods cutting timber. He applied to go to teachers' training, but the acceptance letter arrived after he had gone out west.

In the spring of 1936, he hitchhiked to Tappen, North Dakota, where he got a job working at Dick Vellenga's farm north of Tappen. That fall he worked at Mrs. Henley's farm and that winter for Nels Molbert. Because the crops were so poor, Nels told Bob that he would have to start paying him $15 a month instead of $20.

Bob decided he could make more money if he went further out west; and on August 15, 1937, he started hitchhiking again. He worked on a farm outside Kalispell, Montana, for a couple weeks. Then he worked on the farm of David and Hilda Engdahl, south of Chewelah, Washington, for awhile. From there he hitchhiked to Oroville, Washington, where he worked in a fruit cannery. He came back home that fall with more than enough money to buy a car and some new clothes, also with many stories to tell!

Bob met Rose Peterson when he was working in North Dakota. In March 1938 Rose moved with her family to a farm northwest of Fertile, MN. Bob worked on a farm near Beltrami, and Rose went to high school in Crookston. They were married on November 16, 1940, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Red Lake Falls, as her parents had moved to a farm south of that town. That winter they lived with his family at Pine River.

Bob and Rose farmed in Grove Park Township, Polk County, MN, and in Terrebonne Township, Red Lake County, MN, for many years. In the 1960s, in addition to farming, he worked for American Crystal Sugar Company in Crookston. Between 1958 and 1970 Bob was also a ticket taker for the weekend dances and roller skating at Maple Lake Pavilion, and Rose worked in the restaurant there. In the 1970s and 1980s, in addition to farming, he worked as a crop insurance adjuster. Between 1983 and 1999, they spent the winters in Mission, Texas. In 1999 they moved to The Country Place at Erskine, MN. In 2002 they moved to Hillcrest Nursisng Home in Red Lake Falls. Rose died there on April 13, 2003. Bob then moved to Pioneer Memorial Care Center at Erskine.

Bob is survived by his daughters Marcia (Jim) Clark, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; Janet (Merle) Solie, rural Mentor, MN; and Renae (Woody) Hunter, Pateros, Washington; sons Neil Peterson, rural Mentor, MN; and Jim (Yannie Mao) Peterson, Lakewood, Colorado.
Also surviving are 13 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and two adopted great grandchildren; his sister Bertha (Eldon) Swift of Spring Park, MN; and his brother Dennis (Jackie) Peterson of St. Cloud, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Lyman (Lois) Peterson of Yamhill, Oregon; his brother Marvin (Ann) of Tampa, Florida; his daughter-in-law Peggy Peterson of rural Mentor; and his grandson Allen Solie of Crookston, MN.

Memorials may be made to the First English Lutheran Cemetery Association or to St. John's Lutheran Church.

CASKETBEARERS: Grandsons Hans and Tim Melgaard, Roger and Kelly Solie, great grandsons Craig and Josh Solie.
HONORARY CASKETBEARER: Grandson Chad Peterson.
ORGANIST: Casey Klipping
SOLOIST: Jennifer Weiland
CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS: Amazing Grace #744, How Great Thou Art #801, I Know That My Redeemer Lives #461, The Lord My Shepherd #710