Clarence "Pete" F. Petersen

Sioux City, IA – Clarence F. “Pete” Petersen, 91, of Sioux City passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 30, 2016.

Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m., Monday, December 5, 2016, at Calvary Lutheran Church, 4400 Central Street, Sioux City with Rev. James Travis officiating.  Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery with military honors by the United States Navy.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church.

Clarence Frederick Petersen, born December 27, 1924.  Known by family and friends as “Pete”, he was a lifelong Siouxland resident.  Born to Fred and Lena Petersen in Anthon, Iowa, he spent his childhood on a farm with his three brothers, Elmer, Norman and Glen, and his sister, Grace.

At the age of seventeen, Pete enlisted in the Navy where he served in the South Pacific during World War II.  After his service, he returned to Iowa, residing in a boarding house in Sioux City on Jennings Street.  His future wife, Phyllis Nordby, happened to live in a boarding house nearby.  They met at Ye Olde Tavern and were married in 1953 in Hartington, Nebraska.

Pete enrolled in an apprenticeship program to be an ironworker.  He spent the first years of his career traveling in a mobile home, known back then as a trailer house, to Wagner, South Dakota, where he worked on the Fort Randall Dam and then on to Colorado Springs where he was part of the construction crew on the famous chapel at the Air Force Academy.  During this time, his first two children, Cindy and Mark, were born.  Pete’s growing family outgrew the trailer house, so he and Phyllis settled in Sioux City in 1959, eventually purchasing a home in Leeds.  Two more children, Keri and Scott, joined the family.

Pete was hired by Hughes Steel Erection where he remained employed until his retirement in 1986.  He became foreman for the company working on numerous building projects in the Siouxland area, including the Port Neal Power Station.  Pete was an active union member of Local 184, serving as president and business agent in the 1960’s.  All who worked for Pete admired his leadership and his hard-work ethic.

After his retirement, Pete enjoyed his woodworking hobby.  He and Phyllis collaborated on numerous craft projects over the years.  After Phyllis passed away in 2001, Pete discovered dancing, attending many senior tea dances.  Always very fit, Pete purchased a bicycle at the age of 78 riding it on trails beside the Floyd and Missouri Rivers.  Until the age of 89, he rode seven miles daily, April through October, clocking 14,000 miles on his odometer.

Always a good neighbor, Pete will be remembered for his generosity and willingness to help others, for his keen sense of humor and for his dedication to family.  Pete is preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis Jane (Nordby) Petersen and granddaughter Allison Raaen.  Cherishing his memory are his children Cindy Raaen and husband, Dale; Mark Petersen and wife, Betsy; Keri Petersen and husband, Vaughn Rubick; and Scott Petersen and wife, Patti.  He is also survived by five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.