Kenneth Peterson

Kenneth was born on September 30, 1913 in a farmhouse on the shores of Lake Leven in Villard, MN. He was the eighth of twelve children born to Otto and Mary Peterson. The family moved to Alexandria for a brief time but ultimately settled on a farm near Lake Jessie. Kenneth went to elementary school in Villard and Nelson. He graduated from Central High School in Alexandria with the class of 1930. He moved to Iowa to be near his sister and worked off jobs until joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1940. He was wounded at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941 while aboard the USS Nevada. After his discharge in 1946, he returned to the Alexandria area where he worked at filling stations, raised turkeys and did carpentry work. He bought a farm near Nelson and lived there until 2004, at which time he moved to the Senior Center in Alexandria until becoming a resident of Knute Nelson Home. His earthly life ended on May 1, 2009. Kenneth was a bachelor until the age of 45, but his life changed forever when he married Idella Floding Towers on August 1, 1958. He became a father to her three children and added a daughter in May of 1959. His life was greatly enriched with these events, and eventually he was able to watch his grandchildren grow up and experience the birth of great-grandchildren. His family brought him much joy. He was a loyal fan of the Minnesota Twins and enjoyed watching Jeopardy. Kenneth will be remembered for his generosity, his love of telling jokes and stories, and his independent strong spirit. He was preceded in death by his parents, ten siblings and wife, Idella. He is survived by his children Lynda Boster (Gary) of Plymouth, MN; Michael Towers (Lizabeth) of Crosby, MN; Timothy Towers (Sandy) of Nashville, TN; and Kristin Schwartz (Brian) of Alexandria, MN. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Bryan, Lane, Lindsay, Megan, Lacey, Olivia, Tahnee, Lincoln and Davika and three great-grandchildren: Melody, Joshua and Myles. Kenneth's only surviving sibling is Phyllis Anderson of Alexandria, MN. He was also known as a dear uncle to many nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life service will be held Thursday, May 7th at 1:30 p.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Nelson, MN with Pastor Joan Wittrock officiating. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6th from 4-7 p.m. at the Anderson Funeral Home. The pallbearers are Bryan Lantis, Lane Lantis, Jonathan Gutierrez, Erik Flowers, Joel Stewart and Tanner Decker . Honorary pallbearers are Lindsay Decker, Megan Boster, Lacey Gutierrez, Olivia Stewart, Tahnee Flowers , Lincoln Towers and Davika Towers. Internment will be at Geneva Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Nelson or Knute Nelson Memorial Home in Alexandria.