Gary D. Peterson

Gary David Peterson passed away after a short battle with cancer on May 19, 2023, at the home he built for his beautiful bride of 60 years. He was the second of five children born to storekeepers and farmers, Reuben and Lois (Jackson) Peterson of Cloverland, Wisconsin. After Warner, Gary was born on August 22, 1942, followed by Nancy, Joe, and Mark. The work was hard, but Gary said growing up on the farm was a great start to his 80 happy years of life.

Gary earned $6 a day at his first job driving milk truck for Alfred Levin, but only worked a month before he was fired. It was haying time and he was needed on the farm, so his father spilled the beans that he was only 15 and did not have a driver’s license yet.

After graduating from Northwestern High School in 1960, he went to vocational school for auto-mechanics then drove bulk milk truck for two years. Because he was told teenage marriages didn’t last, he waited until he was 20 to marry the one and only love of his life, Sondra “Jo” Olson, on September 15, 1962. Gary then worked for Olson Bros. in Brule as a mechanic and heavy equipment operator. In the winters he cut, peeled, and hauled pulp, and later drove snowplow and grader for the Township of Hughes.

Gary and Jo started their family while living in Cloverland and moved to Brule in 1969. Working on the road for Willie Construction left him longing for home so he went into business for himself in 1977, and Peterson Masonry was born.  Gary’s imprint can be seen far and wide in northern Wisconsin, with all the buildings and homes that he built, fixed, or moved. He was talented, generous, and honest, and only depended upon word-of-mouth for advertising. He loved going to work, saying “I got to meet new people and enjoy a picnic lunch every day!”

Gary was a loving father to Kathleen, Toni, Michael, and Jason, and taught patience and kindness to them every day of his life. Gary and Jo loved to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycles with the Arrowhead Riders and developed life-long friendships with other parents of disabled children. At the age of 55, he achieved his life-long dream of becoming a pilot and was thankfully better at flying his Cessna 172 than his remote-control airplanes. From the Doodlebug he built as a kid to the ’48 Ford Coupe he transformed into a Hot Rod later in life, he loved old and classic cars and tractors. He was a master woodworker and could custom build anything dreamed up by family and friends. In his sunset years, he enjoyed long conversations with friends and a good game of cribbage.

Gary was a member of the Brule Presbyterian Church and served on the session for many years. He was a member of the Brule Lion’s Club and served as club President twice, receiving the prestigious Birch-Sturm Fellowship Award in 2018. He was elected Hughes Town Supervisor for two terms and was an Iron River Co-op Board Member for 12 years.

Gary is survived by his wife, Sondra Jo, his sister Nancy (David) Dynneson of Bloomington, MN, children Kathleen (Kevin) Morgan of Cameron, Toni Peterson of Iron River, and Jason (Shannon) Peterson of Blueberry. He cherished his eight grandchildren:  Sarah, Jacob, and David Rautio, Ryan and Dylan Peterson, Lindsay (Eric Newenhouse) Morgan, Chelsea (James) Seibert, and Lucas Morgan. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, and precious son Michael Gary, with whom he is running and playing alongside in Paradise today.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Brule Presbyterian Church, 5810 County Road H, Brule, WI, and will continue until the 11:00 AM Memorial Service with Pastor Leslie Anderson officiating. A private family burial will be held later that day at the Highland Memorial Cemetery.

The Lenroot-Maetzold Funeral Home, 1209 E. 5th Street, Superior, is assisting the family with arrangements. To leave a condolence or sign the guestbook, please visit www.lenroot-maetzold.com.