DELROY OTTO PETERSON (1915-1992)
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Delroy married Verone on May 8, 1943. They had four children, Richard, Steven, Kathryn and Susan. They farmed for three years. Moved to Alpha when Delroy accepted a job as bookkeeper and manager of the Feed Department, of the Wood River Creamery and Feed Store. He retired at 65 after working 35 years.
Verone worked 24 years in the Dietary Department of the Grantsburg Hospital.
They were members of the Wood River Baptist church until our church merged with Grace. Delroy passed away July 21,1992.
Verone Peterson’s Memories, from 2000
Being part of the Peterson family brings back many happy memories. The get-togethers were many. Christmas Eve together was a tradition, lots of good food, singing, etc.
Singing in a quartet with Delroy, Maurice and Parn was special. Parn always telling Delroy to look at the words, so he wouldn’t get mixed up was funny—he never learned.
Pat Tyberg’s memories of Delroy Peterson
Son, brother, husband, father, Uncle Delroy, grandfather, farmer, teacher, manager, Sunday School superintendent and teacher, church deacon and board member, Gideon, song leader extraordinaire;
Tall, strong, positive, jolly, out-going, resilient, clever, witty, kind, one-of-a-kind.
Who loved
- His God.
- His family.
- The challenge and delight of hitting, catching, throwing, bouncing, punting, shooting, driving, putting, or watching a ball in all of the above—in all seasons—on cool mornings on a Grantsburg fairway, muggy, buggy nights at Falun ballfield, crisp fall nights at the Pirate field, hot stuffy nights in the high school gym, or cozy Sunday afternoons with CCO television.
- To sing.
- Life.
- Coffee at the Rainbow’s Round Table with the rest of the local knights.
- Fellowship in the true Christian sense of the word.
Who will be remembered for
- The art of shaking hands.
- Helping us laugh at ourselves, at him, at anything—by his typical, predictable greetings we let ourselves fall for: “You sure look terrible today!” “What did (blank) ever see in you?” “Are you still driving that old wreck?”
- That certain scowl/chuckle expression deliberately meant to throw us off guard.
- Being able to talk to most anyone.
- His way with little kids.
- Driving into town for just a cup of coffee.
- His resiliency in bouncing back so many times from the curves his physical body threw him.
- Not knowing how to lose his temper or say an unkind word to anyone or about anyone.
- Letting us all wonder who he really was behind those warm blue eyes and under all those layers of Swedish reserve.
- His gift of “leading us in song”—standing there, head tilted back, eyes closed, glasses in one hand, hymnbook in the other, head wobbling a bit to the vibrato in the chorus—“But I know Whom I have believed,/And am persuaded that He is able/To keep that which I have committed/Unto him against that day.”