Peter Norman Petersen

January 11, 1937 - August 26, 2018 Resident of Folsom, CA

Peter “Pete” Petersen, long-time resident of San Jose, CA, passed away August 26, 2018, at the age of 81. Born in Winnipeg, Canada to Christian and Lisa Petersen, Peter attended schools in Rhode Island, Texas, and California where he graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1955. In 1960 Peter earned a BS in Biology from North Texas University where he met and married Sandra Peach.

He is survived by their daughter, Erika Viney (Todd) and grandchildren Riley and Ashley. He is also survived by sister Elsa Huddleston of Tamarac, Florida and was preceded in death by his wife Maryanne in 2015 and his son, Christian in 2018.

Peter completed a PhD in Biology from San Jose State and taught for many years at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, CA, and evening classes at West Valley College in Saratoga, CA. A lover of nature, he spent five summers as a Naturalist for the State of California in the Humboldt Redwoods and in Big Sur where he spent long hours observing and recording data for his thesis on the California sea otter.

True to his love for the outdoors, Peter became an Eagle Scout in his teens and later an avid ocean diver. He enjoyed tennis, camping, dancing, history and especially time spent on his boat in Santa Cruz harbor. Peter served on the board and in various capacities at Faith Lutheran Church in Los Gatos, CA for many years.