Duane Niles “Bud” Petersen 1938 - 2022
PETERSEN, FLINT, HAGEDORN
Posted By: Connie Swearingen - volunteer (email)
Date: 11/21/2022 at 12:36:15
Duane Niles “Bud” Petersen, 84, died Friday, September 16, 2022.
Duane was born May 19, 1938 in Monona County, Moorhead, Iowa to Thorvald and Florence (Flint) Petersen. Duane grew up in the Loess Hills of Monona County, Iowa. He graduated from Blencoe, Iowa in 1956, Dana College Blair, Nebraska in 1960 majoring in music and biology, and the University of Nebraska Lincoln with a Master’s in Music Composition. He continued his graduate studies at the University of Iowa. Duane married Dixie Hagedorn in Royal, Iowa in 1961. His teaching career included Tekamah, NE, Ralston, NE, American International School in Vienna, Austria, Algona, IA, and the Wichita, KS Public Schools.
While in Nebraska, Duane began the first high school swing choir. His choirs performed many musicals, numerous cantatas, and his composition “Dust and Dreams” written for his thesis at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. In 1971 he was hired to begin a secondary music program at the American International School in Vienna, Austria. In Wichita, Duane taught at Truesdell Middle School and ended his career teaching biology and botany at West High School, retiring in 1996. During this time Duane developed a love of propagating and growing plants with an emphasis in tropical and hardy ferns. He shared his knowledge and expertise by speaking locally as well as in Dallas, Miami, Houston, and New Orleans. He sold his plants at the Kansas Grown Market until his retirement in 2016.
Duane was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. Duane is survived by his wife, Dixie, of Wichita; son, Erik (Molly Chapman) of Golden, CO; grandson, Hans of Bozeman, MT; sisters, Dorothy Jepson of Onawa, IA, Arliss Stockdale of Ames, IA, twin sister, Donna Meierotto of Indian Hills, CO; many relatives and friends.
Memorials are suggested to the Danish American Archives and Library, 1738 Washington, Blair, NE, 68008.
No local services. Burial in Spencer, Iowa at a later date.
Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.
Monona Obituaries maintained by Linda Ziemann.
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