George William Peterson, 91, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 31, 2026 at River Glen in St. Charles, Illinois formerly of Swansea, IL. George was born October 20, 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota to Louis Moon and Marie Linnea Peterson and grew up in the small village of Arnold (now part of Rice Lake), Minnesota. As a boy, he worked for his father's wholesale flower growing business and was a Boy Scout, achieving the rank of Eagle. He graduated from the University of Minnesota at Duluth where he was in the US Air Force ROTC program. On June 20, 1957, George married Louise Ann Blomster and immediately embarked on a 20-year Air Force career as a meteorologist. The first military assignment was in Turkey followed by assignments in England; St. Louis; Washington D.C.; Hampton, Virginia and O'Fallon, Illinois. In 1977 George retired from Scott Air Force Base having achieved the rank of Major. After George retired, he worked at the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis, Missouri.

George was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in O'Fallon, Illinois for 45 years. To enhance his love of gardening, George received the Master Gardener Certification and also joined the Grange, an organization that promotes agriculture and community service. As a couple, George and Louise also did volunteer ushering at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.

George was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Louise, his sister Jean Marie Olson (David) and brother Milton. He is survived by three children; Philip Scott Peterson (Patricia) of Batavia, Illinois; Glenn Louis Peterson (Catherine) of Bothell, Washington and Ralph Alan Peterson (Sandra) of Cross Plains, Wisconsin; 10 grandchildren – Coral (Sean), Aurora (Ali), Bryce, Destin, Patrick, Kendra, Alexander, Tryn (Jordan), Forrest (Rachel), Erik (Gracie) and 2 great-grandchildren, Althea and Elowyn.

The service for George will be on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. with a visitation at 10:00 A.M. prior to the service at Banks & Beals Funeral Home in LaHarpe, Illinois. Burial with Military Rites will follow at LaHarpe Cemetery.

A memorial has been established for Faith Lutheran Church of O’Fallon, Illinois. For those unable to attend, memorials and cards may be sent to the George Peterson Memorial Fund, c/o Banks & Beals, P.O. Box 503, LaHarpe, Illinois 61450. To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit George’s obituary at banksandbeals.com.