Lawrence 'Larry' D. Peterson

Lawrence "Larry" D. Peterson, 80, lifelong resident of Grant County and former longtime PUD manager, passed away Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Soap Lake. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, April 25, 2008, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel and Crematory, Moses Lake. You may sign the guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com.

Larry was born Jan. 20, 1928, in Ephrata, son of the late Ernest Paul and Laura (Padgitt) Peterson. He was raised in Grant Orchards, just outside of Soap Lake and attended schools in Ephrata. While in high school he met Lorrayne Roberts and they were later married in Ephrata on Nov. 2, 1947. They continued to live in Ephrata where Larry worked for Morrison-Knutson Construction Company on the area canals. In 1949 he began working for the Public Utility District and over the years worked up through different positions until he became the PUD manager; he retired in 1983. Since that time he has worked as a public power consultant for numerous companies with an interest in the Pacific Northwest.

In the 1960s Larry was instrumental in writing a treaty with the Wanapum Indians to re-establish their fishing rights. At another time, while on vacation to Sweden, he left literature on the Moses Lake and Grant County areas with the Swedish Trade Center, which led to Eka-Nobel and Union Carbide Companies establishing plants here. He also helped start Granco Credit Union for the PUD employees.

He loved golfing, hiking in the area, extensive travel including trips to China, Guatemala, the Panama Canal, Australia, Russia, Sweden, and Japan, and was a true Philatelist (stamp collector).

He was a longtime member of the Moses Lake and Ephrata Rotary Clubs and was the Moses Lake Rotary Club President in 1972. Over the years of Rotary membership, he exhibited the ideals of Rotary time and time again with numerous financial gifts and awards. He was also a former member of the Toastmasters and named Jaycees "Young Man of the Year" in 1963. He was on the Moses Lake Port District Board since 1998 and a long-serving member of the boards of the Housing Authority of Grant County, the Grant County Economic Development Council, and the Big Bend College Foundation. He was active with the Boys & Girls Club, the Cooperative Educational Foundation for the Guatemala Literacy Project, and always willing to lend advice and a helping hand for many community projects.

He is survived by his loving wife of more than 60 years, Lorrayne Peterson, Moses Lake; three children and spouses, Brian and Anna Peterson, Puyallup, Wash., Nancy Kay and Jim Hale, Eureka, Calif., Jeanne-Marie Peterson and John Poling, Soap Lake; six grandchildren, Christina Munro, Aimee Peterson, Kevin Peterson, Eric Hale, Serin Von Reigers, Jessamyn Clark; two great-grandchildren, Makena Munro and Jack Munro; and "Orson" the cat.

A sister, Esther Fitzgerald preceded him in death.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Guatemala Literacy Project, c/o Glenn Chamberlain, National Project Co-Coordinator, 14259 Wenatchee Ave., N.W., Ephrata, WA 98823. This is a project through the District 5060 Rotary Clubs to provide books, computers and mini-libraries for the Guatemala Schools.