Laverne Petersen Obituary

Laverne “Bud” Lyle Petersen, 89, passed away peacefully on July 13th, 2024, at The Bridges in Ankeny, Iowa. He was born August 25, 1934, in Jacksonville Township to Clinton and Carrie Petersen. Bud was baptized and confirmed at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church near Jacksonville, Iowa.

Raised on a family farm northeast of Jacksonville, Bud attended country school and graduated from Harlan High School. He initially helped his father with the farming operation and later worked at Crystal Springs Creamery in Kimballton, Iowa. He also served in the Marine Reserves from 1951 to 1955.

On April 16th, 1955, Bud married Bernice Petersen at the First United Methodist Church in Audubon, Iowa. They were blessed with three children: Kathy, Mike and Brenda. Bud joined the U.S. Army on April 26, 1955, where he was stationed in Japan for two years. Upon his return from military service, Bud and Bernice moved to Sheldon, Iowa where Bud was employed by Armour & Co. as a livestock buyer. On August 1, 1961, Bud was transferred to Armour’s buying station in Harlan, Iowa, where he worked until 1963 when he became a livestock buyer for Western Iowa Pork. When the plant closed in 1970, Bud worked as a sales representative for Squealer Feed Co. until 1974. He returned to buying livestock at Western Iowa Pork from 1974 until 1995 when the plant was sold. At that time, he became a livestock buyer for Excel Corporation for 5 years prior to his retirement in 2000. Following his retirement, Bud and Bernice spent their winters in Mission, Texas for eighteen years. In November of 2022, Bud and Bernice moved from Harlan to Johnston, Iowa, to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Bud was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church in Harlan and felt closest to God in the splendor of His creation, whether looking at the Goldfinches outside his bedroom window, watching the scenery pass by during a road trip or exploring the natural beauty of Hawaii, Alaska and Niagara Falls. While he loved sports and was a loyal fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the St. Louis Cardinals, his true passion was golf. Bud enjoyed traveling to watch golf tournaments with his son, Mike, and cherished his time golfing and having coffee with friends at the Harlan Country Club. He also enjoyed collecting golf and baseball cards, miniature tractors, bullet pencils and commemorative silver dollars.

Bud was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. His greatest joy was spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Bernice Petersen; his three children: Kathy Goetz (Roger) of Johnston, Iowa; Mike Petersen (Patti) of South Sioux, Nebraska; and Brenda Heggen (Chris) of Johnston, Iowa; and his cherished grandchildren: Chris Petersen of Clive, Iowa; Adam (Dana) Goetz of Cranford, N.J.; Ali Anderssen (Blake) of Ankeny, Iowa; Katie (Nick) McClure of Ankeny, Iowa; and Paul Heggen, Jacqueline Heggen, and Meredith Heggen, all of Johnston, Iowa. He is also survived by great-grandchildren: Salvatore Goetz, Quinn Saunders, Malcolm McClure, Valentino Goetz, and Maeve McClure. He is further survived by his sister, Delores Nordby of Elk Horn, Iowa; and brothers-in-law: Bill Petersen of Wichita, Kansas; Dick (Linda) Petersen of Denver, Colorado; and Tom (Wanda) Petersen of Dallas, Texas and other relatives and many friends. Bud was preceded in death by his parents, brother-in-law Milo Nordby, sister- in laws: Beverly Harrison and Billie Petersen, and niece, Penny Nordby.

Visitation will be held at 10 AM on August 10, 2024, followed by a memorial service at 11 AM at the Congregational UCC & United Methodist Mission Church, 1211 19th St., Harlan, Iowa. A luncheon will be served at the church following the memorial service.

A private family burial will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be directed to Wesley Life Hospice, 4328 114th St. Urbandale, IA. 50322

Arrangements by Iles Westover Chapel.

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