Preston Petersen

Preston (Pete) Petersen of Olympia, Washington passed away at his home surrounded by his family on October 8, 2024. He was born in Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI to Alfred Petersen and Alice Cartier Petersen. Preston was the second eldest of 12 children born to the Petersen family. He graduated from Christiansted High School in 1953 and enlisted in the US Army in 1954.

He was nicknamed “Pete” in Basic Training and from then on was always referred to as Pete by his friends and colleagues. He met Rita Rahneberg in Berlin, Germany during his first overseas assignment and they married in 1957 and had 3 children. After serving 10 years as an enlisted Soldier, Pete commissioned as an officer and served in Vietnam 1966-67 and earned the Bronze Star. Pete’s military career and his love of travel and exploration took him and his family all over the world to include Europe, Japan, Hawaii, United States Virgin Islands and many places in the US. Pete retired from Military service in 1975 as a Major.

Following his retirement, he enrolled at Saint Martin’s University, Lacey, Washington and obtained his degree in Sociology and then his Master’s Degree at Pacific Lutheran in Social and Human Relations. He expressed his long term passion for learning and helping others by teaching at Saint Martin’s extension campus at Fort Lewis, WA. Pete then began his career with the State of Washington working with the Department of Personnel, followed by Washington State Patrol and the Department of Corrections. Pete also took on an interim assignment in St Thomas, USVI working for the Department of Corrections and Attorney General’s Office for a year.

When not working, Preston greatly enjoyed golf, traveling, sailing, and carpentry. He left a lasting impact on so many lives that he touched. From his 20 years serving in the US Army, to his almost 20 years working for the State of Washington, and his brief time in between working in St Thomas and St Croix, the one story his children always heard from others when they met them was how amazing Pete was, and how much he changed their lives.

Pete is preceded in death by parents Alfred and Alice Petersen, and brother Francois Petersen.

He is survived by: wife, Rita Petersen; children Patricia Nutt, Monica Petersen, and Tony Petersen; five grandchildren; and 6 great-grandchildren.

A committal service with Army honors will be held at Mills and Mills Memorial park on Thursday November 7th at 2PM in Tumwater, Washington. A Celebration of Pete’s life will be held immediately following inside Mills and Mills Funeral Home reception hall. All are welcome to attend.

The family has prepared a video slide show linked below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXIpomT4Qmc