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Petersen, Virgil (Spike) (1924-2016)

PETERSEN, ANDERSEN, FLETCHER, FRERICHS, ZEMAN, TEMPLE, CHRISTENSEN, WITTER

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 11/22/2016 at 20:34:09

Virgil (Spike) Petersen
June 19, 1924 - September 16, 2016

On the evening of September 16th, 2016, surrounded by his family, Virgil "Spike" Petersen, 92, passed away peacefully while in Hospice care at the Northern Colorado Medical Center. He had suffered major injuries from a fall earlier in the day.

Virgil grew up on a rural farm in Newell, Iowa, and from a very early age, he had a passion for sports. An avid basketball player, he was positioned at guard throughout junior high and high school. But Spike's real sporting passion was baseball. As a short-stop and second baseman, he had a .500 batting average as a high school freshman, an accomplishment which drew the attention of and a visit from scouts for the St. Louis Cardinals, his favorite team. Indeed, Spike routed for the Cardinals his entire life. He was also the first Newell athlete to letter in four sports all four years of high school. In 1944, shortly after graduating from high school where he had excelled on the V-5 Navy College Training Program test, Virgil entered Officer Training in the US Navy as a cadet in the Naval Air Corps. He attended preflight school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and flight school at the Naval Air Station in Bunker Hill, Indiana.

After World War II ended in 1945, Virgil returned home to his family in Iowa and resumed farming. He soon picked up his baseball glove, however, and in 1952 signed to a semi-pro team, the Newell Independents. In March of 1955, Virgil embarked on a blind date and met the love of his life. He and Donna Jean Fletcher wed on February 16, 1957, and settled in the Newell area. In 1973, they moved to Loveland, Colorado, with their five children where he worked for Champion Homes. Virgil, eventually, accepted a position at Hewlett-Packard, and retired thirteen years later in 1990.

Spike spent his retirement years enjoying the Colorado outdoors and tending to the forty-acre ranch he and Donna owned in west Loveland. He spent his fondest and most cherished times with Donna, his five children, seven grandchildren, and extended family. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and uncle as well as a deeply spiritual Christian, he remained a devout Lutheran his entire life. His love of life manifested itself in the gentle and humble way he lived it. An eternal optimist, rarely, did he not have a smile on his face or a chuckle at the ready.

Preceded in death by his parents, Nels A. and Agnes (Andersen) Petersen, and his sister, Elva Frerichs, Virgil is survived by his wife Donna; his children, Sarah (Gary) Zeman, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, Jan Petersen, of San Diego, California, Kyle (Lois) Petersen, of Loveland, Colorado, Polly (Ian Temple) Petersen, of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Corry (Emily) Petersen, of Johnstown, Colorado, and his grandchildren: Chad, Ella, Kirk, Lily, Nora, and Troy Petersen and Nathan Temple; two sisters, Betty Christensen of Sac City, Iowa, and his twin sister, Verna Witter, of Westmont, Illinois; as well as numerous sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews.

Remembrances and condolences may be sent to the Viegut Funeral Home, 1616 N. Lincoln Ave., Loveland, Colorado, 80538. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to King of Glory Lutheran Church and sent to the Viegut Funeral Home. A celebration of Virgil's life will be held on Friday, September 23, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Loveland. Inurnment will follow at the King of Glory Columbarium Memorial Garden on the church premises. A special thanks to the neighbors, first responders, and the physicians, nurses, and hospice staff at the Northern Colorado Medical Center for their outstanding care of Virgil during his final hours before entering heaven.

Copyright © 2016, Viegut Funeral Home, Loveland, Colorado


 

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