Larry C. Peterson (Missoula ’68)
Posted: February 11, 2025
Larry was born October 22, 1941, in Garland, WY, and grew up in Montana. He attended Montana State University, where he studied mathematics and developed a lifelong interest in engineering and all things mechanical.
He served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in Germany and Korea. After his discharge, he worked for the USFS in Missoula, MT, as a horse-packer and later as a smokejumper. He jumped in Missoula in 1968, and at Anchorage 1969-70.
In 1968, Larry received a temporary assignment to Alaska. The next year, he moved to Anchorage to work for the BLM. His assignments involved much traveling, and he received many awards for innovative equipment designs and processes he developed.
Larry was an avid traveler, a private pilot, and an accomplished whitewater rafter, familiar with many rivers in Alaska. He traveled through Mexico by motorcycle and skied throughout the Western U.S.
A close friend said of Larry: “His eagerness to attempt a new challenge was outweighed only by his eagerness to help his many friends. Always the first to offer to help ‘twist a wrench,’ Larry made his many skills available to his friends at all times. He embodied the spirit of the true handyman. He delighted in troubleshooting and problem-solving and was continually remodeling and improving the home he built on the upper Hillside. When faced with a difficult problem, Larry would respond, ‘I can do that myself,’ and then to the amazement of all, he would.”
At the time of his passing, he was very proud of his young daughter, Jennifer. His face would fill with joy when describing her accomplishments, his friend said.
Larry died in a boating accident on Alaska’s Big Lake on May 29, 1994. He was 52 years old.
