Scott Ross Peterson

Scott Ross Peterson, 94, reached the end of his long earthly adventure on Sept. 24, 2016, at his home in Surry, Maine. Scott was born in the family home in Oakley, Utah, on April 29, 1922, to Mark Harper and Marie Irma Ross Peterson, both descendants of early Utah pioneers. A 1940 graduate of South Summit High School, Scott attended Utah A & M and the University of Utah, served in the U.S. Navy, and graduated from Colorado A&M, now CSU, with a B.S. in animal science in 1952. Later, Scott returned to CSU and earned a Master's degree in trades and industrial education and administration. He and the former Elizabeth Anne McKim were married in 1946 and began their life together on the Peterson ranch in Snyderville, Utah.

In 1951, Scott and Elizabeth sold the Utah ranch and moved to Fort Collins, Colo., so that Scott could complete his degree there. After graduation, he worked as the educational director for veterinary drug companies, educating farmers and ranchers about newly-developed streptomycin and penicillin that especially benefitted livestock and poultry producers. In his early 20s, Scott had trained as a journeyman electrician. When his employer discontinued its veterinary medicine line, Scott picked up his tools and began a long career as a construction electrician. His "magic tool pouch" took him to construction positions across the U.S., as well as to Greenland, Brazil, and Vietnam.

Scott's graduate work in education enabled him to become a vocational educator after he was injured in a construction accident in 1967. He taught high school vocational education in Bucyrus, Ohio, and served as a teacher-administrator at the Community College of Denver. He also served as an electrical technology consultant to the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Education in Seoul; training superintendent for the National Iranian Copper Mining Company in Sar Chesmah, Iran; training director for AVCO International in Lagos, Nigeria; and training director for the construction of nuclear power plants in New Jersey and Louisiana.

Scott and Elizabeth owned homes and rental properties in Fort Collins, Colo., for over 50 years; they returned there between professional assignments and upon retirement in the 1980s, when Scott maintained and managed their rentals. In 1997, Scott and Elizabeth bought a mobile home community in Saratoga. After Elizabeth's death in 1998, Scott continued to manage the community, buying and refurbishing mobile homes to rent and sell. In 2009, Scott tired of Wyoming winters and moved to Surry, Me., where he spent his last years rebuilding a big 1800s-era farmhouse.

Scott is survived by his five children: Margaret (Peggy) Peterson Hotchkiss, Ed.D. and Berkeley, of Saratoga; McKim (Kim) Culver Peterson, M.D. and Linda, M.D., of Surry, Me .; Rex McKim Peterson and Nancy, D.V.M., of Gordon, Neb .; Diana Peterson Walsh and Ed of Ankeny, Iowa; and Peter James McKim Peterson, D.M.D. and Chris, of West Hartford, Conn., as well as by 13 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Interment is planned for the summer of 2017 in Fort Collins, Colo. The family suggests that those wishing to make a memorial contribution consider Heifer International, http://www.heifer.org, Episcopal Relief and Development, http://www.episcopalrelief.org, or Platte Valley Helping Hands, PO Box 1553

Saratoga, WY 82331.