Obituary for Michel Kent Peterson

Michel Kent Peterson of Ames IA, passed away peacefully, on May 27, 2022, at the age of 76, after a long battle with several health complications.  

Mike was born on January 2, 1946, to Hawley and Emma Peterson in the Jewell area. After attending Randall Schools, Mike was in the first graduating class from the newly consolidated South Hamilton High School, in 1963.  He is still friends and kept in touch with many of his classmates, until his last days. He was known to be adventurous, as he was the youngest of seven siblings.  After high school, he attended college at Northwest Missouri State and then served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968. 

After the military, Mike returned to the Jewell area where, after a short stint at the Highway Commission, he began a 40-plus year career selling John Deere equipment.  He became part-owner in Ryerson Implement in Nevada, Iowa in 1973. In 1976 he moved on to purchase his own dealership in Hawarden, Iowa. His career in the farm equipment business stretched across the entire Midwest, from Iowa to Colorado and Missouri, then returning home again to Iowa. 

Mike met his wife Judi Craven Peterson when they both worked at what was then called the Iowa Highway Commission (now IDOT), where he was employed as a draftsman. They were married on December 21, 1968.  Their marriage lasted nearly 50 years until Judi succumbed to cancer, in 2017. They were blessed with a family of 5 wonderful children, Chad, David, Darla Jean, Dennis, and Michel, Jr.  Mike’s memory will be carried forward by his 4 grandchildren Ayden, Mylze, Lane, and Jade. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Decker and Savannah, and certainly more to come.  Mike enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, taking them camping, fishing, and to baseball games.  He always loved the time spent around the campfire, surrounded by his family.  Mike was always a big baseball fan, in a family of baseball fans. He spent a great deal of time in his final years cheering on his beloved Cubs. He was lucky enough to see them win the World Series in 2016.

Mike was a salesman through and through.  He never met a stranger.  He could talk to anyone, and make them feel alive and welcome.  In his younger years, he loved the game of golf, he spent many hours perfecting his game.  In his later years, he turned to a calmer pursuit, fishing.  Those fishing days and trips were the ones he treasured most with his friends and family.  In their retirement years, Mike and Judi enjoyed winters together in Arizona, where they met a whole new group of friends. At this point, he was able to slow down, savor life, and soak it all in.

Mike was predeceased by his parents Hawley and Emma Peterson, his wife Judi, daughter Darla Jean, and sons Chad and Michel, Jr.  Mike will join his brothers, David and Phillip, and sister Mary in heaven.  He is survived by his sons David (Shelley) and Dennis (Lisa), his brother Dale and sisters Beverly (Thompson) and Marlene (Fardal). 

Services will be held at 10 A.M. on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Avenue, Ames IA. A luncheon will be served.

There will be a private interment ceremony at 2 P.M. on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 3726 Nelson Avenue, Jewell IA.

Please leave condolence directly to the Peterson family at www.IowaCremation.com under Obituaries.