- Date Of Birth: August 20, 1936
- Date Of Death: August 7, 2021
- State: Iowa
Edward Allen Peterson died Saturday, August 7, at Scottish Rite Park’s Health Center in Des Moines, Iowa, after a lengthy illness. Ed was born on a farm near Madrid, Iowa on August 20, 1936.
He was the youngest of four children of Atle and Annetta Peterson. He graduated from Madrid High School in 1954 and received degrees in the sciences from the University of Iowa and Drake University. He also received National Science Foundation grants for further study at several universities including Princeton. Ed taught science at the Central Dallas Community School in Minburn, Iowa, and biology for Des Moines Tech High School, prior to teaching physics at East High School for 24 years. He then became Supervisor of Science for the Des Moines School District in 1989. He retired from this position in 1999, and then served other education-related roles for the Des Moines Schools and Heartland AEA, as well as serving on committees and the board of Drake University’s Ray Society.
Ed thoroughly enjoyed teaching. He received several awards for his teaching including the Iowa Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching, and the Grinnell College Award for Outstanding Teaching and Exemplary Service to American Education. He served as Regional Director of the Iowa Science Teachers Section of the Iowa Academy of Science, was a past president of the Windsor Heights Lions Club, and was an active member of the Golden K Kiwanis. Ed’s favorite hobby was collecting and studying rocks and fossils, and over the years he amassed an impressive collection. Active in the Central Iowa Mineral Society, he arranged and attended field trips throughout Iowa, and used his collection and interest to talk to students and groups in the Des Moines area about fossils and minerals. In later years, he enjoyed making stone jewelry and carving songbirds from wood and stone.
Ed met Jo Ann Leaming while attending graduate school at Drake, and they married in 1962. They had two sons, Mark and Jeffrey. During their 59-year marriage, they enjoyed frequent travel and spending time with family, friends, and grandchildren.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Dorothy Swanson of Madrid, his brother Carl Peterson of Asheville, NC, and his son Jeffrey Peterson. He is survived by his wife Jo Ann, son Mark and daughter-in-law Sandra, granddaughters Makenna, Jaitley, and Cassidy, and brother William Peterson of Savannah, GA.
