Elvin Peterson

Elvin August Peterson was born on July 10, 1927 in Pipestone, Minnesota to John and Lydia (Lange) Peterson. He attended county school in rural Jasper, MN until the eighth grade. Elvin helped on the family farm until joining in the U.S. Army in 1945. He was discharged from the Army in 1946, and attended Dunwoody in Minneapolis for two years and earned a degree in refrigeration and air conditioning. Elvin was united in marriage to Lorraine Schwarz on November 22, 1948 at St. Mary?s Catholic Church in Dell Rapids, SD. The couple moved to Richfield where they raised their five sons. Elvin went to work for Parson?s Electric in 1952 and continued working with them for 35 years until his retirement in November of 1987. During this time he spent seven years remodeling their Richfield home doing the work himself, nearly doubling the size of the original home. After Elvin?s retirement the couple moved to Alexandria where he built their home on the west side of Lake Carlos. Elvin enjoyed bowling, fishing, woodworking, and dancing to polkas or waltzes. He also produced a polka album featuring a local orchestra, with whom Elvin and Lorraine became very close friends. Most of all he loved spending time with his family and especially cherished the family camping trips and vacations they took all across the U.S. He will always be remembered by his sons how he taught them to fish, work on cars, and work with their hands. Elvin died on January 11, 2008 at the Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine of Alexandria; sons, John (Sharon) of Rosemont, James (Jan) of Minneapolis, Dale (Lorie) of Coon Rapids, David (Peggy) of Lakeville, and Gary of Alexandria; grandchildren, Simon, Vanessa, John-Michael, Laura, Daniel, and Autumn; great-grandchildren, Nathan and Noah; sisters, Erna Wendt of Dent, MN, Verona Weets of Pipestone, and Doris Greengo of Eagan, and several nieces and nephews. Elvin was preceded in death by his parents, John and Lydia; and brothers, Marvin, Lawrence, and Herbert. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at St. Mary?s Catholic Church in Alexandria with Reverend Father Steve Binsfeld officiating. Interment was held in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Casket bearers were John Peterson, James Peterson, Dale Peterson, David Peterson, Gary Peterson, and Richard Wendt. Honorary Casket bearers were all of Elvin?s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Arrangements are with the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria.