Clyde E. "Pete" Peterson, 61

Clyde E. "Pete" Peterson, 61, a longtime resident of the Flathead Valley, passed away Friday, Aug. 15, 2008, at his home in Whitefish.

Pete was born May 16, 1947, in Lehi, Utah, to Glen and Beverlee Peterson. He was the oldest of five children. Pete was raised in the Utah Valley, where he enjoyed the outdoors. He was involved with the Boy Scouts of America and received the Eagle Scout honor. As a member of the Latter-day Saints church, Pete served as a missionary in the Northern States Mission.

He later joined the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam, where he earned two Purple Hearts and many prestigious decorations for his bravery.

He attended Utah State University and Southern Illinois University, where he received his degree in psychology, sociology and mortuary science.

He married Janet Lynn Thompson in 1973 in Makanda, Ill.

Pete was a sportsman and outdoor enthusiast, spending his free time hunting, fishing and camping with his family.

He was an avid reader and a wealth of information unto himself. His love for knowledge and personal growth astounded everyone around him, and he derived much of it from the Gospel that guided his life.

As a mortician, he used his education in psychology and experience as a missionary to help the bereaved through the grieving process. He honored this position for more than 30 years, most of which was in the Flathead Valley.

He was preceded in death by the love of his life, Janet Lynn Thompson; and his father, Glen J. Peterson.

Pete is survived by his daughter, Penny, and her husband, Blaine Decker, of Colorado; son, Kuger Peterson, and his fiancee, Tiffany Kilgore, of Los Angeles; his mother, Beverlee (Tripp) Peterson, of American Fork, Utah; brother, Pierce Peterson, and his wife, Ruth, of Elko, Nev.; brother, Deeth Peterson, of Spring Creek, Nev.; sister, Tish Smith, and husband, Tom, of Island Park, Idaho; foster brother, Chuck Tortice, and wife, Virgie, of Whiteriver, Ariz.; and by many other nieces, nephews and family members, and by a host of friends who will miss him dearly.

A funeral service will be held at noon Saturday, Aug. 23, at Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish, with the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officiating. Burial will be afterward in Woodlawn Cemetery in Columbia Falls, with military graveside rites by the United Veterans of the Flathead and the Montana National Guard.

Arrangements are under the direction of Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish.