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Peterson, age 90, of Carrington, ND, died Wednesday, September 7, 2016, at Golden Acres Manor, Carrington.
Roland D. “Pete” Peterson was born May 2, 1926, in a hospital at Michigan, ND, the son of Bertina (Elvick) and Lawrence Peterson. For several years the family lived on a farm north of Ampersand. Roland spent all of his first 8 years of school in Mapes, ND. The family then moved to a 2-room home in town. There were many people sleeping in three beds and on the floor behind the coal heater. His brothers Roy and Orville worked on WPA and CCC to help the family eat. Their father had been badly injured in a runaway that summer, so all of the kids had to work on farms, shocking grain and hauling bundles for 25 cents an hour. They had to do this to buy school clothes. Roland and his brother Pat rode to school with 2 other boys whose family owned a car.
Later the family moved to Lakota where they eventually lived in the Grant house, along with 3 other families. Roland finished his high school there. In 1944, he was badly injured in a car accident along with Bob Beatty and Dorothy (Nelson) Rosenberger. He was hospitalized for many days with a skull fracture and was actually “pronounced dead” with even an article of his death written up in the Devils Lake paper.
Since he had volunteered for the Navy while still in high school, he left home for basic training in Farragut, ID. He was then sent to San Pedro, CA, where he was assigned to AM313 Minesweeper. He then was stricken with Scarlet Fever after which a mastoidectomy was performed on his right ear, and due to surgery all hearing was lost on his right side. In 1945, Roland was discharged from the Navy because of the ear problem and complications that developed from his skull fracture. He became a service connected disabled veteran from World War II. Seven boys from the Peterson family were in service at that time.
Roland and his twin brothers Lowell and Lyle performed all over ND, as a singing trio called “The Repeters”. They went to Minnesota for a recording session, harmonizing some of their favorite tunes which included “Sentimental Journey” and “Cool Water.” After working at several jobs after his discharge he started college at Valley City State on the G.I. Bill where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1951. While going to college he met Mari Ann McDonald and they were married in 1952.
Roland Mari Ann began their long-time careers in education, first at the Svea Consolidated School where they were the entire high school faculty. They spent the next 5 years at Kathryn, ND school where he was the superintendent, coach and teacher while Mari Ann did the rest. While in Kathryn, a daughter, Tammi Ro Ann was born. They moved to Wapato, Washington where he taught Senior English.
While teaching in Wapato, Roland received a yearlong scholarship at Washington State University in Guidance and Counseling. He was then hired at Beaverton, Oregon where he spent 28 years in that school system. During their first year in Oregon, a daughter, Kylie, was born. The family lived in Tigard, OR, where both their daughters completed 12 years of school. Both girls went to college and earned advanced degrees.
Together Roland and Mari Ann were influential in education for almost 70 years – a long time. They both retired in 1994, and moved from Tigard back to North Dakota, where they currently reside in Carrington.
In 2010, at age of 85, Roland made a hole in one at the Crossroads Golf Course in Carrington, this was his second. In October of 2015, Roland took the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. and met his daughter Kylie and family there to enjoy the events.
He is survived by his wife Mari Ann, Carrington; his daughters Tammi Ro Ann (Kevin) Mitchell, Happy Valley, OR, and Kylie (Don) Hensley, Fairfax, VA; and granddaughters RoAnna Mitchell and Arianna Hensley.
His Visitation will be held Monday, 12PM-7PM, with a Prayer Service at 7PM, all at Evans Funeral Home, Carrington.
His Funeral Service will be Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 1:30PM at Evans Funeral Home, Carrington.
His Burial will be at Lakota Cemetery, Lakota, ND.
Arrangements by Evans Funeral Home, Carrington, ND.
On-line condolences may be sent at www.EvansFuneralHomeND.com.