James "Jim" M. Peterson

James M. "Jim" Peterson went to his eternal home Saturday, October 15th, 2022, as a result of complications from a series of strokes and cancer. Jim was born January 21, 1947, to Don and Laura (Carter) Peterson in Garden City, Kansas. The family lived next to his grandparents in Lakin until Jim was six when they moved to Ulysses. The family settled on Court Street across the street and down the block from the girl who would become his wife, Deanna Miller. His first memory of Deanna was as a small blonde headed girl on a blue bike with training wheels. Still not certain whether it was the girl or the bike that captured his attention. Jim attended grade school and high school in Ulysses. He played high school football. After graduation, Jim joined the Air Force. He had no interest in college and wanted to be an airplane mechanic. When he became a crew chief on a McDonnell Douglas F-4D fighter jet, his dream was realized. However, three of Jim's four years in the Air Force were spent with the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hahn Air Base in Germany, on the front lines of the Cold War, with frequent deployments to Wheelus Air Base in Libya. After many days working outside in the cold and rain of the Hunsruck Mountains or the blazing heat of the Saharan sun, Jim rethought his future goals. One of his pilots urged him to go to college and become an engineer. Deanna had been in the background of his life all this time, and when Jim was discharged from the Air Force, they married on August 16, 1969. A month later, they moved to Inglewood, California, where Jim attended Northrop Institute of Technology. He graduated with a bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering. Four years in the Los Angeles area made the couple more than grateful when Jim accepted a job with Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita. While at Cessna, Jim designed the fuel system for the Citation III business jet. His career then took him to the Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Certification Office in the mid-1980s. He was dedicated to aircraft safety and worked with the Wichita area airplane companies to assure that their planes were safe. He retired in 2007. Jim and Deanna have two children, Amanda and Andrew. They were very involved with their children's schools as volunteers. When both children decided to attend the University of Oklahoma, they became Sooner fans. The family also had many fun vacations, often to places no one had heard of so that Deanna could pursue her hobby of genealogy. In retirement, Jim enjoyed reading, tinkering with all sorts of things and going to estate sales where he purchased things that needed tinkering with. He also enjoyed travel. Jim and Deanna celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a five week trip to Europe. They also spent quite a bit of time in Branson, Missouri. Jim is survived by his wife, Deanna, his daughter Amanda and her husband Chih-Chen Wen, his son Andrew Peterson and his wife, Amanda, and five fantastic grandchildren, Caleb, Jonathan and Selah Wen, and Sean and Miles Peterson. He is also survived by his sister, Joyce Baker, a sister in law, Kat Peterson, and five nephews and nieces and three cousins. Jim loved God, his family, and helping others in a variety of ways. He was a member of Country Acres Baptist Church. Jim was a very special person, and he and his "we can do that" attitude will be missed, but we await our joyous reunion with him in Heaven.