Allan Peterson

Allan George Peterson, 103, of Crookston, MN, passed away in RiverView Health in Crookston on Friday evening, March 2, 2018, comforted knowing that his family was at his side.

Allan was born in Brookings, SD on April 13, 1914, the son of William and Hildegard (Eckmann) Peterson. He grew up in Brookings and was a graduate of Brookings High School. Allan went on to earn both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Entomology from South Dakota State College in Brookings. While a student at SDSU he did grasshopper research in the state from 1935 to 1936. From 1938 to 1939 he was a research assistant for the University of Missouri, and held the same position at the University of Minnesota from 1939 through 1942. In August of 1942, Allan was united in marriage to Katherine Wismer in Jackson, MS. Two children, William and Anne, were born to their union. During most of the the WWII years, from 1942 through 1946, Allan served with the rank of Captain in the uniformed service of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. His main focus with Public Health was working on malaria control in Mississippi and other southern states. In 1946 Allan became a research fellow at the University of Minnesota and received his Ph. D. in Entomology from the University in 1949. He continued his life’s work at the U of M Twin Cities Campus as a faculty member, becoming a full professor in 1965. He remained with the Entomology Department until his retirement in 1979. His career was centered on economic entomology and he specialized in crops such as wild rice and potatoes in northwest Minnesota, as well as, a variety of different crops in other parts of the state.

Following his retirement, Allan and Katherine moved to rural Aitkin, MN, and were members of the Aitkin United Methodist Church. Sadly, Katherine passed away in July of 1982. Allan enjoyed gardening, walking in the woods, photography and writing poetry. In 2007 he moved to Crookston to be near his family, and had been a resident of the Summit Apartments of Villa St. Vincent since 2009.

Allan is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, William C. and Debra Peterson of Crookston, MN; 2 grandchildren, Amy (Nathan) Lubarski of Crookston, and Brian Peterson (Lisa Novack) of Minneapolis; 3 great-grandchildren: Jaden, Rylan, and Gianna Lubarski of Crookston; and a sister, Elizabeth Jensen of Madison, SD. In addition to his beloved wife, Katherine, Allan was preceded in death by his daughter, Anne Peterson; sister and brother-in-law, Marie and John Grafius; and brother-in-law, Julian Jensen. May God bless the memory of Allan George Peterso

A memorial service for Allan Peterson will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, March 17, 2018, in the Wesley United Methodist Church in Crookston with The Rev. Michelle Miller, officiating. Visitation with the family will be for one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given in his memory and sent c/o William C. Peterson, 563 1st Avenue NE, Crookston, MN 56716.

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