A great man...

Saturday morning, August 20, 2011, I was standing on a street corner, helping direct a little ward triathlon. Jake was with me. I was taking photos of a few of the things I saw while waiting for racers. It was here that I got a call that my uncle had passed.


My uncle, Craig Peterson, died of Lou Gehrig's Disease. It took 8 months after diagnosis for this awful disease to take his life. Those 8 months of watching him suffer, were horrible. I loved my uncle and was honored to take his family photos before he died. While the location is primitive, it was where he wanted the photo taken. Craig was a great man. After his death I learned of trials he had gone through during his life that made me respect him more for all he has endured. Things I remember about him: Japanese rice candy (where you eat the paper), John Wayne movies, stories...about everyone and everything, always laughing at something or someone, loved his kids and did anything for them, what a great dad he was. I also remember a time when he rescued me. When I first moved away from home, I was really homesick. I was having a hard time leaving with my grandparents, who weren't used to modern teenagers. My uncle gave me a blessing and treated me like one of his own. Whenever I would walk in a room he was in, he would say, "Well, Hello, Jenny, Jenny!" He always acted very interested in the lives of me and my brothers. Since we lived out of state from the rest of the cousins - not many people cared about what was happening in our lives...out of sight, out of mind. Craig always cared. Craig had my grandpa's hands. That's probably the thing I remember most. Seeing Craig's hands always reminded me of my grandpa. Craig was a great Yankee's fan and BYU fan. I sat with him the very last BYU football game he attended. He made sure to buy each of my boys a cougar tail(donut). I am so happy he is not suffering anymore. Watching him waste away was awful. I know he is in heaven - watching over his children and praying that they do what they need to do in order to return to him. I am grateful for his example in my life and for the opportunity I got to be his only niece. I love you, Uncle Craigy.

Michael Craig Peterson "Papa" COPPERTON-Our beloved husband and father passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, August 20, 2011 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) Born, October 10, 1955 in Salt Lake City, Utah to James W. and Dorothy Peterson. Craig had a wonderful childhood growing up in Copperton, where he graduated from Bingham High School. He was very active in school and sports. He served a two year mission in Japan where he gained a love for their people and culture. Craig married his sweetheart, Cyndi on August 22, 1978 in the Salt Lake Temple. He graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors Degree and received a Masters Degree in Elementary School Administration from BYU. Craig taught 4th Grade for five years before working at Domino's Pizza as an area supervisor for 14 years. He then returned to teaching and taught 4th and 6th grade for 13 years at Jordan Hills Elementary where he loved the students and the faculty. Craig was an incredibly dedicated father and Papa who loved his children and grandchildren more than anything and supported them in all of their endeavors. He loved coaching them in Little League and softball. He instilled in them a love of baseball and the New York Yankees. Craig never complained and always put the needs of others above his own. He was an amazing man who touched many lives and he will be greatly missed. Craig is survived by: wife, Cyndi, children, Katie (Jakson) Holyoak, James (Marisol) Peterson, Erin Peterson, Kara (Brian) Higley, grandchildren, McCall, Madi, Maya, Alison and Craig, mother, Dorothy Peterson, Brother Kent (Mary) Peterson, sister, LeAnne (Mike) Heagren, and nieces and nephews he dearly loved. He is preceded in death by his father, James W. Peterson. Friends may call at the Sunset Ridge 5th Ward, 8834 Duck Ridge Road, West Jordan, Friday, August 26, 2011 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. or Saturday from 10:00-10:45 a.m. Funeral services will be held, Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the same location. Interment, Wasatch Lawn Cemetery 13001 South 3600 West Riverton, UT. Condolences may be sent at www.wheelermortuary.com