Gregory (Pete) Gayle Petersen, 73, of Burke, South Dakota, passed away on March 28, 2023, after a hard-fought 2 ½ year battle with cancer.
Funeral services were held April 1 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Burial was in Graceland Cemetery.
Greg was born on March 29, 1949 in Burke, South Dakota, to Orris and Ruth (Evans) Petersen. Many don’t know this, but Greg was baptized in the Burke hospital on April 2, 1949 due to being premature. Fourteen years later on June 9, 1963, Greg was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Burke where he recited Psalm 103:1-2 as his confirmation verse—”Bless the Lord, oh my soul.”
Greg spent his younger years helping his family own and operate the feed mill in Burke – Petersen Produce. His summers were filled playing baseball with his pals. Baseball wasn’t the only sport Greg had a knack for; He picked up his first golf club at the age of 10 and was a natural. He would go on to excel at golf, winning many tournaments throughout his younger days while enjoying numerous 4-men scrambles as he grew older.
A proud Bulldog, Greg graduated from BHS in 1967. From there he went on to major in political science and minor in music at South Dakota State University. From a young age Greg was an accomplished pianist; a talent that earned him the honor of accompanying SDSU’s men’s choir The Statesmen for several years during college. After four years of driving his Olds Cutlass back and forth to Brookings, Greg graduated from SDSU in 1971 and has remained a lifelong Jackrabbit fan ever since.
After graduation, Greg returned to Burke and began working for Doc McKenzie at the Burke Vet Clinic. Little did he know that he would meet his wife, Kathy, while working there. Kathy was attending North Carolina State for animal science and her college friend, Betsy Senter, convinced Kathy to visit Burke in January 1980. She ended up taking a job at the same vet clinic where Greg worked, and the rest was history.
On Sept. 20, 1980, Greg and Kathy were united in marriage at Grace Lutheran Church. Greg soon transitioned to work alongside his dad on the family farm just south of Burke. While farming was the work, Greg’s proudest achievement in life was being “dad” to James and Courtney. They both would grow up sharing a passion for two of Greg’s favorite hobbies, golf and piano. He never missed an opportunity to share about his kids with anyone who would listen.
While Greg would argue that he never really quit farming, it soon became his ‘part time’ job as he took the last load of Petersen Charolais cattle to town in the early 2000’s. It didn’t take long for Greg to fill his time with his third favorite hobby, any kind of game that involved a friendly wager. Known as ‘Pete’ to his beloved wagering friends, he loved a good game of Hold’em and he never missed the chance to participate in a sports league bracket. Even after being diagnosed with cancer, playing cards with his friends was the highlight of his week.
Greg kicked off his last full-time job, being a grandpa, in 2012. He absolutely adored his grandchildren Hattie (10), Nora (7), and Walter (3). He never made a visit without bringing treats, and he was notorious for offering ice cream before Grandma could get food on the table. He always grinned when Nora would say, “well grandpa said we could!” Some of their best memories with grandpa were being taught how to light a firecracker (and run) and learning how to drive his “Jackrabbit” golf cart.
Greg will be missed and remembered by many for his big heart, his pranks, his quick wit, his love of the Jackrabbits, his amazing piano talent, his clutch putter when money was on the line, and his passion for lighting up the neighborhood with fireworks on the 4th of July. And while his journey here on earth was shorter than we would like, we can’t help but think he is already teeing off on heaven’s best course.
Greg is survived by wife Kathy, son James of Vancouver, WA, daughter Courtney (Mike) of Mount Vernon, SD, and his beloved grandchildren Hattie, Nora, and Walter. He was preceded in death by his parents, Orris and Ruth Petersen.
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