Dennis “Denny” Peterson was born in Hawthorn, Nevada on January 19, 1945, to Henry and Arloine Peterson. After a few years, the family made the move to Westminster, California where he grew up and graduated from Westminster High School. He enjoyed riding their horse, surfing, and just being a boy. Summers were spent in Montana with his grandparents working on the farm and hopping trains to Great Falls from Sun River.
After graduation, he and his lifelong friend Don Atwood decided to join the US Army where he was assigned to the 1st Infantry, Big Red One. He fought hard for his country and was awarded several medals including the Silver Star and Bronze Star. While he was in Vietnam, he was befriended by General Mather who reassigned him to Fort Hood, Texas as his personal aide. That is where he spent the rest of his Army career in 1968.
Somewhere around 1970 he made the move back to Montana where he eventually called Lincoln home. He met and married Ethel Lambkin and they had a daughter, Dawn. They later divorced and he and Dawn moved to California where he began his plumbing career with his brother, Terry. Later he worked for his other brother, Roger and finally with his brother, Gary where he installed and supervised the installation of automatic fire sprinklers. He spent his free time golfing, traveling, fishing for mako sharks with Terry, racing cars with Gary and raising his daughter. He was always on the go.
In 2005, he made the trek back to Lincoln and retired a couple of years later from the fire sprinklers business. Being retired meant he was busier than ever. Whether he was golfing, fishing, helping out Bob Armstrong with the American Legion flags, volunteering for Hooper Park, and being on the park board or being the president of the Lincoln Senior Center, he was involved in this community. If you needed a hand, he was the guy right up to the end. And don’t forget his Thursday night poker games with Brent, Leo, Bob, and Ray and whoever else would join in.
In 2023, he received the Governor’s Veteran Commendation Award from Governor Gianforte in Helena at the Capital Building. This is an award that he was nominated for as a Veteran who gives back to his or her community.
Denny is survived by his daughter, Dawn (Brian); grandson, Alex (Elli); brothers, Roger (Sherry) and Gary (Tammy); nieces and nephew; and his beloved kitty, Kristi. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Karen; brother, Terry; nephew, Kerry; and niece, Kristi.
Services will be held at the Community Hall in Lincoln, Montana on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 11 am with a potluck to follow. Meat and cheese trays will be provided so please bring a side dish or dessert if you can.
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