Johnny Chris Petersen

Johnny Chris Petersen, 71, of La Grande died June 21.

A celebration of his life will be held at Valley Fellowship Church in La Grande Sunday at 2 p.m.

Johnny C. Petersen was born July 3, 1936, in Baker to Gerald Petersen and Lula Davis Cantrell. He grew up under the loving and watchful eye of his grandparents, John and Minnie Davis, on their ranch near North Powder. He was an Eagle Scout and attended the National Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pa., in 1950 along with 47,000 other Scouts.

He graduated from North Powder High School and was married to his high school sweetheart, Tam, from 1955 to 1983. The couple had five children. He also served in the Oregon National Guard.

He worked for Safeway for many years and at the Edward Hines Lumber Co. in Hines for several years before his retirement.

He was a descendent of John S. Davis and Susan Dealy Davis who homesteaded the family ranch in North Powder in 1872, and Chris and Rosella Petersen, who were pioneers in Baker County.

He is survived by his wife, Jan, whom he had 12 happy years with in La Grande; his five children and their spouses: Mike and Debbie Petersen of Paulina, Gregg and Patty Petersen of Cornelius, Jeff and Joanne Petersen of Beaverton, Steve and Teresa Petersen of Warrenton, and Amy and Matt Basey of Hines; and 14 grand-children. He is also survived by his sisters, Patsy Patterson, Dorothy Omohondro and Linda Clauson and their husbands and children.

John was a living example of Christ's love to his family and friends and strangers. His favorite pastimes included working in his yard and talking with his family, which he called weekly with words of encouragement and lessons from Scripture. He never complained about his M.S. or its symptoms, and he beat cancer five years ago without complaint. Many of his friends were unaware of the seriousness of his illness because of his positive attitude and his way of turning the conversation away from himself and toward the others or the Lord.