Joel Fredric Petersen passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, at his home on October 6, 2022.
At 57 years old, he had one hell of a run and he experienced everything life had to offer: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A Prayer Service will be held, 2:00pm Friday, October 14, 2022, at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Rockwell, Iowa.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 2:00pm-4:00pm Saturday, October 15, 2022, at American Legion Club Post #208 in Rockwell, Iowa with sharing of memories at 3:45pm.
The good came in the form of his two daughters, Emily and Lindsey. He was their biggest fan and was always so proud of them. In his younger days, the good was FFA, dairy cattle, and wreaking havoc with the neighbor kids. Then came marriage, working in the field, good music, and card club where he won “The Duck”. More good came from riding Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, designing and building anything and everything, and restoring vintage toys and tractors. It continued in “sharp lookin’” Ford pickups, a nice pair of boots, and good dogs. He was an exceedingly loyal, protective, and helpful friend. His happy place was the Legion Post #208. You could find him there with a stack of tickets and tokens in his pocket, a twenty-dollar bill to throw into the “stupid machines”, and never holding anything other than a Black Velvet/Coke.
The bad was when his time at United Crystal Sugar ended. The bad was “the accident”. The bad was no longer being able to pipefit with Local #33. The bad was when his marriage of 27 years ended. The bad was burying beloved friends.
The ugly was the years of struggles with lung, back, and knee problems. We aren’t going to dwell on those things though, we don’t have time.
So, keep thinking about Joel and think about the good. There is so much more good than can ever be listed here. Keep telling stories, listening to his favorite songs, and every once and a while, order a BV/Coke and raise your glass to him.
Those left to remember the good are Joel’s daughters and their boyfriends, Emily Petersen & Bob Smith and Lindsey Petersen & Jake Austin. He is survived by his parents Ronald and Joan Petersen and his siblings Carl and LuAnn Petersen, Mary Etta and Brian Miller, and Ruthann and Tom Murphy. Joel left behind many cousins, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, neighbors, and a whole lot of friends who will continue to remember the good.
He was preceded in death by maternal and paternal grandparents and some damn good friends.
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