Ronald Peterson MD
Ronald M Peterson, MD passed away in Manchester, Wash., surrounded by loved ones May 27 after a 2½-year battle with lymphoma. He was kind and courageous until the end.
Ron was born in Williston, N.D., on March 21, 1950, and attended school in Watford City. He and his high school sweetheart, Deborah Drovdal, married in 1971. They went on to attend medical school together and graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. Shortly thereafter they moved to and settled in Great Falls. Their 27-year marriage was full of family, travel, work, and love, before Debbie passed from chronic health issues in 1998. Soon after Ron married his second long-term love, Ann Coppin. They celebrated their 25th anniversary this past January. Ann loved the Montana life and together they shaped their Monarch cabin into the beautiful retreat it is today. From these two marriages Ron found himself the father of five, which was indeed one of the greatest joys of his life. His son Jared wrote:
“It breaks my heart to share that my dad recently passed away from cancer. Being adopted, I could have found myself in a household filled with abuse and hardship. Instead, I hit the jackpot and ended up with a red-headed doctor from North Dakota.
My dad, also known as Doc or Ronnie, epitomized selflessness. Both in and out of the emergency room he dedicated his life to giving, always putting others before himself.
If you knew him, you probably witnessed him willingly take the backseat so others could experience the thrill of riding up front or you probably benefited from his countless hours of preparation just to ensure someone else had a good time. Remarkably patient and kind, my dad handled every obstacle with grace. Despite my rebellious phase and constant attempts to push boundaries, I only saw my dad lose his temper once-when I burned his sailboat to the ground.
My dad always encouraged and enabled everyone to try everything, something I’m extremely grateful for because I was blessed with more experiences than most.
I can’t express how lucky I was to have him as my Dad and how much he will be missed.”
Those thoughts are shared by his siblings. They would like to be clear they were not involved in the above-mentioned boat burning incident.
Ron was many things. He was a physician, a pilot, a scuba diver, a skier and snowboarder, a backcountry horseman and enjoyed sailing lessons in more recent history. He reenacted Lewis and Clark journeys and was part of the Roundup Cattle Drive celebrating Montana’s centennial. Most importantly he was a husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend. He is survived by wife, Ann; daughters, Megan Beckman (Jason), Georgia Dye (Rick), Robin Brown (Mike); and sons, Jared Peterson and Nathan Dye (Kamille). His foster daughter, Isis Snaric, made him proud as well. His grandchildren, Dannika, Dakota, Conner, Colette, Jackson, and Louise could light his eyes up! He is also survived by his brother, Wayne Peterson (Jo); sisters, Sheila Turner and Ardyce Alveshere (Lloyd). He had many nieces and nephews he held close to his heart along with their families. Uncle Ronnie was loved by them all.
Remembrances can be sent to Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation, PO Box 2866, Great Falls, Mont. 59403.