John Peterson

Obituary

Obituary for John Lawrence Peterson

John Lawrence Peterson passed away peacefully in his Shafter home on Thursday, July 9th. He was ten days shy of his 94th birthday. Known as “John L.” he had lived in Shafter since 1950, buying one of the first homes built on Walnut Street. He was married to his college sweetheart Janet Barclay of Paul, Idaho for 68 years. John L. is survived by wife Janet, his only son Scott, his daughter-in-law Kim, 2 brothers (Howard and Richard), brother-in-law Dan Barclay and his 4 grandchildren: Whitney,… Blake, Taylor and Tanner. He had 2 beautiful and beloved great granddaughters, Emma and Sofia. He was preceded in death by his only daughter Jill, his only sister Louise, his brothers Par, Reid, Ralph and Farrell, and brothers-in-law Paul Carrol, Jack Barclay, and Scott Barclay. John L. was born July 19, 1921 in the central Utah hamlet of Hinkley. His father was Peter G Peterson and mother Louise Larsen Peterson. The family moved north during his junior high school days and he went to high school in Orem, Utah. He served in the United States Navy during the Second World War in the Pacific. He earned a Master’s degree from BYU, and started his career in education at Duchesne High School in eastern Utah as a teacher and coach. After moving to Kern County in 1949, he worked as the wood shop teacher at Richland Junior High, and then became the school’s principal until 1980 when he retired after 34 years in education. John L. was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In his younger days he loved hunting deer with his brothers in Utah and doves with his friends in Kern County. He enjoyed creating wood furniture in his shop at home. He spent many hours rooting for his favorite sports teams: the BYU Cougars, LA Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers. His favorite “food” was See’s candy and Dewar’s chews. He loved boating at Lake Powell and visiting Utah’s 5 national parks. He stayed many days in Morro Bay and Pismo Beach with friends and family, but nothing could compare to spending time with Janet in his “castle” on Walnut Street. Funeral services are under the direction of Peters Funeral Home, 844 E. Lerdo Hwy. Shafter, CA 93263.