George Joseph Peterson, 86 of Rochester, died peacefully on May 6, 2016 at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

George was born December 21, 1929 to Luella and Charles Peterson of rural Rochester.  He attended school in the nearby one-room school house.  He served in the U.S. Army primarily at Camp Rucker, Alabama; along with an assignment at the Nevada atomic test site in the Spring of 1952.  He received his honorable discharge in May of 1952.

George married Lorraine (Bannon) on August 18, 1952, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Rochester.  His summer job that year was as a power lineman at what is now People's Energy Cooperative.  Retiring after a 42 year career, he took special pride in having brought electricity to rural families for the first time, and answering calls to work overtime to restore power to those affected by storms or outages.

George is preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, and one son.  He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; three sons, Charles (Vicki), Mark (Caroline) and Christopher (Robbin); four daughters, Danette (Greg), Lory (Mark), Patrice (Lynn) and Joleen; eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Born and raised on a farm, he spent much of his spare time raising animals on his hobby farm, tending his large garden, and restoring vintage gasoline engines and tractors.  Most recently in retirement, he enjoyed walking at the mall, tending his chickens, and working on projects with his sons in his workshop.  He was a lifetime member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and served as an usher for many years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at 11:00AM, Wednesday, May 11, 2016 with Rev. Mark McNea officiating.  Visitation will be from 5:00-8:00PM Tuesday, May 10, 2016 in River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home and also one hour prior to the Mass on Wednesday.  Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com