David A. Peterson, longtime Colfax area resident, passed away peacefully at his rural home on Monday evening, October 10, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. He was 71. Funeral Services will be Friday, October 14th at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Colfax. Burial will follow at the Colfax Cemetery. David was born October 12, 1944 in Duluth, Minnesota to Royal and Gwendolyn Mae (West) Peterson. The family moved to Washington in 1947 after deciding that Minnesota winters were just too severe. David graduated from Colfax High School in 1963. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served his country for four years. One of those years he spent in Iceland. He was stationed in Southern California for part of his tour as well. He married Linda Baird on December 21, 1965. They have made the Colfax area their home for most of their married lives. David worked in sales for the Palouse No-Till and also for Palouse Welding during the 1970's. He later worked for the Washington Department of Transportation and it was during part of the clean-up effort from Mt. St. Helen's eruption that he fell from the back of a truck and injured his back pretty badly. He was forced to change careers and start over basically. He worked for Fork Refrigeration for a time and then worked as a custodian at WSU for many years. During this time David also maintained status as a student at WSU and methodically completed his degree in Ag Economics. He proudly graduated from WSU in 1997 after having been a student since 1968. His family fondly remembers him as a "creature of habit". He was always very trusting of people too. They lived outside of St. John for 12 years in the Sunset area and it was during this time that David taught his boys about all sorts of animals, how to cut firewood, and a general knowledge of the outdoors. David had many hobbies over the years, but one in particular that many might recall was the time in 1975 when he found some pontoons and decided to build a houseboat along the highway just south of Colfax. He was asked many times by people about "the ark" and "when is the flood coming?" For the last 15 years of his life he loved doing recreational gold prospecting. He travelled from southern Arizona to Northern Washington panning and exploring for gold in old gold towns, along many mining claims and in search of mining artifacts. He belonged to the Northwest Gold Prospectors Association and was a lifetime member of the LDMA. (Lost Dutchman's Assn.) David was also a lifetime member of the Whitman County Historical Society and volunteered lots of time at the Perkins House in Colfax. He and Linda maintained a second home in Orofino, Idaho and David loved spending time there and enjoying the river and the outdoors right from his porch. He was a member of the VFW in Orofino. He also belonged to the WSU Alumni Association. David and Linda belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Endicott and also attended church in Orofino when they were there. For over 15 years David worked as the concessionaire or manager down at Boyer Park and Marina in Whitman County. He retired from there in 2014. He is survived by his wife, Linda, at their Colfax home; 3 sons, Drew (Tammy) Peterson and Jeremy Peterson both of Colfax, Chad (Nikki) Peterson of Wenatchee, WA; 7 grandchildren, J.D. & Tyler Peterson both of Colfax, Ryan Riley of East Wenatchee, Sean Riley, Spokane, Cheyenne Nelson of Troy, ID., Samantha Peterson of Pullman and Steven Peterson of Garfield; 2 great-grandchildren, Harriett and Jeremy Nelson both of Troy; his brother, Fraser Peterson of Yuma, AZ., and two sisters, Barbara (Bob) Matthews of Canyonville, Oregon and Vicki Peterson of Albany, Oregon and he is also survived by his beloved dachshund, Goldie. He was preceded in death by his parents. The family suggests memorial gifts be made to the Whitman County Historical Society. On-line guest book is at www.bruningfuneralhome.com
Bruning Funeral Home of Colfax is caring for the family.