James Peterson

James L. Peterson, age 63, Bismarck, passed away November 27, 2017 at Sanford Health Medical Center in Bismarck.

A celebration of James’s life will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at Charity Lutheran Church, 120 Aspen Ave in Bismarck, with Pastor Scott Bauman officiating.  Burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service on Saturday.

James was born January 19, 1954 to James M. and Shirley E. (Schmidt) Peterson in Anaconda, Montana.  The family later moved to Sheridan, Wyoming where James attended grade school for 2 years.  In 1962 they moved to Mandan where James continued his education, graduating from Mandan High School in 1972.  He attended college in Pueblo, Colorado until 1975 when he returned to Mandan to work for his father’s company, Belgrade Enterprises, building powerlines.  After his father and brother’s death in 1978, the family business was sold and James continued employment in the powerline business until 1989, when he moved to Kansas City to begin a new career in photography.  He finished his career in photography in Denver, Colorado in 2008 and he returned to Bismarck to be closer to family.

James’s health deteriorated and he entered St. Gabriel’s Community in 2015.  Over the last two years James’s health improved where he could live independent in his own apartment, where he lived at the time of his death.  During the time he resided at St. Gabriel’s, he volunteered at the North Dakota State Library and the American Heart Association Heart Walk.

James will be deeply missed by his sisters and brother-in-law, LaRae Peterson and Sherri (Dan) Samuelson, both of Bismarck; his brothers and sister-in-laws, Rick (Tina) Peterson of Milford, Iowa and Douglas (Brenda) Peterson of Mandan; 10 nieces and nephews, Shawn (Ally), Brian, and Jonathan Samuelson, Samantha Henley, Allan, Michael, and Brittany Peterson, Todd Dirks, and Lucas and Alyssa Hoffmeier; and numerous great nieces and nephews.

James was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Virgil and Kevin.