Eugene "Gene" Raymond Peterson passed away in the early morning hours of April 30. He was 86. He was born on June 14, 1938, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Edwin Peterson and Thelma (Johnson) Peterson. He grew up in Columbus, Nebraska, his beloved hometown, and graduated from Columbus High School in 1956. Here he excelled in track and in basketball, once even playing against Tom Osborne, future storied coach of his favorite college football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He attended Wayne State University for 1 year and then began working as a telephone repair technician for GTE, working in various locations in the Midwest.

In Iowa, while working on one of these jobs, he met Myrna Smith at a café where she worked. They were married on September 29, 1957. He worked for GTE for nearly 30 years, helping to raise their two children, Steven and Dena in Bloomington, Illinois and later, Heyworth, Illinois. He and Myrna both took an early retirement in the 1990's and relocated to Holiday Island, Arkansas, where they had many friends, enjoyed golfing, playing cards, traveling, and feeding the birds. A Nebraska Cornhusker's fan his entire life, Gene enjoyed being a part of the Cornhusker's Club in Holiday Island, recording all the games on videotape. He was a subscriber to Husker's Magazine since the 1980's, keeping every copy! His maternal grandmother, Ellen Johnson, also an avid fan, used to live only a couple of blocks from the stadium in Lincoln, NE.

Gene loved playing cards and hosted a weekly poker game with his friends for many years. He was a Civil War buff and traveled to many battlefield sites. He loved his pets and cared deeply for all creatures. He enjoyed collecting rocks and insulators, amassing hundreds of both over his lifetime. He was faithful about keeping in touch with his family by writing letters to them. He was especially fond of his Aunt Skip and Uncle Don Johnson with whom he kept in touch until their deaths. One of the most tragic events in Gene's life was in 1947, when his Grandpa Isaac Johnson was killed on the Union Pacific Railroad while working on repairing some tracks. He loved his grandpa dearly.

Later in life, when Myrna was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, they relocated to The Cottages at Hearthstone in Pella, Iowa to be close to son Steven and wife Jane Peterson and for memory care, as Gene suffered an illness that left his memory impaired as well. Even as Steve was suffering from Parkinson's Disease, Jane and her boys were helped with their care. Gene and Myrna were happy when daughter Dena and her husband Olon moved from Colorado to Iowa to be closer to them and to be more involved with their care.

Gene is survived by a brother, Don, and wife Mary and children in West Covina, California, a daughter, Dena and husband Olon in Grinnell, Iowa, a daughter-in-law, Jane, Knoxville, Iowa, grandchildren Nick and Matthew Peterson, Des Moines, Iowa, Emily Kirk of Foster City, California, Anna Kirk, New York, New York, Bridget King (Steve) of Midlothian, Virginia, Bonnie LIndemood, Wichita Kansas, and great-grandchildren, Aniyah King, Midlothian, Virginia, L Walker, Harlem Walker and Harris Walker, Wichita, Kansas.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin and Thelma Peterson, his wife, Myrna Peterson, his son, Steven Peterson, his grandson, Will Kirk, and a great-grandson, Brooklynn Walker.

An inurnment of ashes and celebration of life will be held at a later date at the Columbus Cemetery in Columbus, Nebraska, with drinks and Polka Music to follow at the historic Glur's Tavern, where Gene once worked.