David Chan Peterson

David was born in Seoul, Korea in 1954. He was adopted by Fred and Darline Peterson in 1963 at the age of 9. He was raised in San Jose where he lived for the next 49 years. He is survived by his wife and children, his mother, Darline Peterson, and 5 siblings: Chuck, Marline, Lori, Kori, and Sheila. Dave attended Leigh High School in San Jose where he made several close friends that he kept in contact with until his death.

Dave joined the army in 1972 at age 17 and was stationed in Korea during the Vietnam War. He joined the Army Reserves upon discharge from active duty, and served again in Desert Storm in 1991 where he was stationed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He retired as a Sergeant First Class from the Army Reserve after 27 years of service. He loved to travel and he was able to travel extensively during his years as an army reservist. He spent two week summer camps in places such as Italy, Germany, and Hawaii.

Dave graduated from San Jose State University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science. He worked most of his life in the building trades as a lather. He retired in July 2010 as a union/field representative of the Drywall/Lathers Union Local 9144 of the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council.

Dave met Cheryl Clark in 1979 after his graduation from San Jose State University. They married July 26, 1980. Jonathan was born September 22, 1984 and Jenny was born July 26, 1994 (on their 14 year anniversary!) His beloved children were always his greatest pride and joy.

Dave was a high energy active guy who had many hobbies and interests. He loved to ride motorcycles and would often take road trips with his friends. He was a real nature lover and found solace in being outdoors in the woods or near the beach. He loved to camp and backpack, and spent many weekends with his son, Jonathan, and friends on backpacking or camping trips. He enjoyed trips to the snow and planned ski weekends and snow vacations with his family.

Dave had a passion for animals that he shared with his daughter, Jenny. Over the years they cared for dogs, fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, and chickens. He liked to garden, and he spent a lot of time growing vegetables that he would use in making salsa and salads, and other dishes. He spent a lot of time after retirement making delicious meals for friends and family.

Dave was a unique individual who overcame many obstacles in his life which made him strong and independent. He was fortunate to have excellent health for most of his life, so his toughest obstacle was dealing with his declining health this past year. He would grieve for the things he could no longer do or places he could no longer go. What helped him through this were his good friends who would come over every Saturday for a weekly poker game. He looked forward to this every day, and would say, “It’s one day closer to the poker game!” He also became more spiritual and attended a small church each Sunday to hear the word and reconnect with his Christian faith. He read the bible and said the Lord’s Prayer each night.

He kept his good humor to the end, and he would tell each hospice nurse that came to the house a (corny) joke before they left. He took pleasure in simple things the last few weeks and he loved having hi s friends and family near him. He gave everyone hugs and told them he loved them. We are glad he is no longer suffering and is at peace, but we will miss him dearly.