Lawrence "Pete" George Petersen

 Lawrence G. (Pete) Petersen, 90, passed away on Saturday, December, 28, 2019 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, WI. He was born on March 16, 1929 in Lake Forest, IL, to Lauritz and Amalia (Stark) Petersen. After the death of his mother in 1935, he moved to Appleton to live with his Uncle George and Aunt Mary Stark. They purchased a farm north of Appleton, where he lived in that same house for the rest of his life. He worked as a machinist in the Army from 1947 to 1948 and was proud of his service to his country.

On June 24, 1954 he married Rita Schroeder in St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom, WI. They celebrated nearly 58 years of marriage before she died in 2012. He missed her dearly for the rest of his life.

After his discharge, along with running the farm, he worked in the paper industry until his retirement in 1991. Pete enjoyed snowmobiling in his younger days and was a charter member of the Apple Creek Sno-Ryders snowmobile club. One of his yearly highlights was the Annual Pig Roast and Tractor Show hosted on the farm by the Fox Valley Two Cylinder Club for over 25 years. He also enjoyed going to the NASCAR race in Brooklyn MI with his son, Steve and spending the weekend with his daughter Lynn and her family. He loved farming until his retirement in the summer of 2019.

He especially enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Pete is survived by his four children: Lynn (Robert) Wenzel of Fond du Lac, Steve on the farm, Karen of Grand Chute, and Mark on the farm, and his two grandchildren Dr. Ann Wenzel (DVM) and Nicholas Wenzel. Other relatives include sister in law Phyllis Schroeder, brother in law Glenn (Dottie) Schroeder, special cousin Joseph (Judy) Zehren, special friend Kelly Peters DVM, who Pete sometimes referred to as his third son, and many other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Rita, aunt and uncle Mary and George Stark, and Rita’s family Robert Schroeder, Elaine (Don) Gresl, Betty (Jim) Gresl, Irene (Robert) Van Hoof, and many other relatives.

Pete was a charter member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.            

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 12:00 pm at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 1810 N. McDonald St, Appleton, WI officiated by Rev. Jack Mullarkey. Visitation will be held at the church on Thursday, January 9, 2020 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, where you can share your favorite memory of Pete, concluding with a prayer service at 6:00 pm and on Friday from 10:00 am until the hour of service at the church. Pete will be buried next to Rita at Highland Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pete’s name to:

St. Joseph Food Pantry (The farm donates land for Grow a Row), Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul or

The Kyle Plush Answer the Call Foundation, PO Box 30424, Cincinnati OH 45230.

The family would like to thank Dr. Erdman and staff at Ascension Wound Clinic for their care, and the nurses and staff in Fremont Tower.

We would also give special thanks to Perry Brown, Jeff Polenske, Bill Henry and Paul DeCoster for providing the transportation to Dad’s many doctor appointments.

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