Philip R. Petersen, 85, of Indian River County, passed away on April 4, 2014, peacefully in the arms of the love of his life, Laura Wachtler Petersen, at the VNA Hospice House.
He spent his last few days in her company, listening to one of his other loves, airplanes.
He is survived by son Bradley Philip Petersen; daughters, Sue Ellen Petersen and Rebecca Ann Schultz; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Guy Asa and Anna Maude Petersen, and his brother, Nahl Petersen.
Petersen’s marriage to Laura was a love story that was precious beyond words and his family is deeply grateful for her devotion to him as she brought him happiness that few people ever have the opportunity to experience.
They were married on March 2, 1978, in Denver, Colo., and spent 36 wonderful years together.
Petersen was born in Forsythe, Mont., on March 16, 1929. He graduated from Anaconda High School in Anaconda, Mont., in 1947. He attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., and graduated from Northrup Aeronautical Institute in Los Angeles, Calif.
He began flying at the age of 13 in Montana and flew barnstormers and did air acrobatics. His entire career centered on aviation, and he spent the majority of it working for Piper Aircraft.
In 1962, he became Piper’s first international service manager, covering the Middle East and Europe. His employment with Piper gave him the opportunity to move his young family to Geneva, Switzerland, where they lived for four years before locating to Ohio.
He then worked until 1978 for Airborne Manufacturing in Elyria, Ohio, as an installation engineer and a corporate pilot. He and his wife then relocated to Indian River County, where Petersen once again returned to work for Piper.
In 1983, the couple returned to Montana to care for his aging parents. They returned to Indian River County in 1995. Petersen was an airplane mechanic instructor for Simcom in some of the years that followed.
In recent years, he returned once again to Piper Aircraft, where he conducted tours of the facility in Vero Beach and was truly a “walking aviation history book,” having known and flown with members of the Piper family.
Petersen had a passion for life. He also enjoyed collecting and restoring antiques and always had multiple projects going in his workshop. He made many gifts for family members out of wood and Corian, which are cherished by all that received them. He was an excellent photographer and assembled many photographic memories for family members. He loved to travel and had the opportunity to see many countries and cultures over his eighty-five incredible years.
The family extends special thanks to Piper Aircraft for giving him the opportunity to share his love of airplanes with others. In addition the family is especially grateful to Dr. Hadi Shalhoub and to Colleen Symanski, RN.
It is Petersen’s wish that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to For a Healthier Me, 7760 Bay Street, Suite 8, Sebastian, FL 32958.
