Virgil Petersen

Virgil E. Petersen, age 74, of Raymond, died Tuesday, August 5, at the St. Cloud Hospital.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday, August 11, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Willmar with Rev. Steven Bielenberg officiating. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery in Raymond. Military Honors will be provided by American Legion Post #420 of Raymond and American Legion Post #167 of Willmar. Visitation will be 5-7 PM Sunday at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Dakota Boys Ranch, Raymond American Legion Post #420, the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.

Virgil Eugene Petersen was born June 3, 1934, in Wang Township, Renville County, the son of Andrew and Johanna (Kramer) Petersen. He was baptized into the Christian faith at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clara City. In March 1943, the family moved to a farm in rural Raymond, where Virgil lived the rest of his life. He was confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church in Raymond in 1948 and graduated from Raymond High School in 1952. He served in the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1958, serving as a military policeman stationed in Newfoundland. Following his discharge, he return to Raymond to farm on the family farm. On June 15, 1963, he married Anita Sauck at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Willmar and they made their home on the family farm near Raymond. Virgil later worked at Simmons Produce in Kerkhoven and Cenex, Big Bear and Central Tractor in Willmar. He served on the Kandiyohi County Veterans Service Advisory Board and the Board of Directors of the Kandiyohi County Fair for many years and retired in 1995. He was a member of American Legion Post 420 in Raymond and served as adjutant for many years. He was also an active member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, where he had served on the Board of Education, as vice president of the council and as a usher. He also enjoyed serving coffee at funerals at the church. Virgil was a people person and he enjoyed visiting with the many people he knew. In retirement, he greatest joy was working in his gardens growing vegetables and gladiolas, and going fishing with his family.

Virgil is survived by his wife, Anita; two sons, Craig (and Heather) Petersen of Raymond and Loren (and Marci) Petersen of Minneota; two grandchildren, Malinda and Evan; a brother, Calvin (and Maydean) Petersen of Willmar; a sister-in-law, Roseann Sauck of Fergus Falls; two nephews, Dwight (and Deb) Petersen of Willmar and Mark (and Amanda) Petersen of Willmar; a niece, VaLoris (and Tony) Anderson of Atwater; and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Roland Sauck.