Peterson, Dean Walfred
Peterson, Dean W., age 73 of Montague, NJ died peacefully on Friday February 14th, 2014 in Newton NJ. Born in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Dean lived in a number of states besides NJ over his 73 years including, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Kansas. Son of the late Oscar W. and Edna (nee Andersen), both directly from Sweden, Dean grew up with only his father, as his mother passed away when he was only four years old. He was a graduate of the Cliffside Park High School class of 1958, where he was a member of the marching band. He was also an avid accordionist throughout his life. He attended Bethany College for a short time, in Lindsborg, Kansas, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in hopes of becoming a Lutheran Pastor. He worked for most of his life in the automobile industry, as his passion for automobiles was strong from a very young age. Early in his career he prospered as an entrepreneur owning his own Esso station in the 1960’s, to managing multiple dealer franchises from New York to Texas.
Over the decades of industry service Dean worked for many automotive manufacturers from the likes of Nissan to Volvo and Mercedes Benz; where he was instrumental in designing the company’s first Roadside Assistance Program, among other accomplishments. Dean’s reputation for professionalism and his unbelievable work ethic brought him many professional accomplishments, the respect of his peers, and the overwhelming admiration of anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him. His hobbies and passions included, firstly and mostly his grandchildren, classic cars, coffee, bowling, music, entertaining (including small bands of his own), traveling, making people laugh, his sons, family and friends, and of course and especially, his wife. Survived by his devoted and beloved wife Lillian E., who celebrated their Golden Anniversary in 2013, his son Brian D. Peterson of West Caldwell, his son Dean J. Peterson and his wife Amy Peterson, of Wayne, and his four precious Grandchildren who he loved so very much, Erin N., Steffan A., Trevor D., and Sofia H., who all miss him dearly. His brother-in-law Garry DelGreco, his wife Judy, along with Dean’s niece Melissa, and his nephews Joseph and James.
Also his brother-in-law Phillip Dourand and Dean’s nephew Kevin Dourand. Dean’s Memorial Service will be held Saturday February 22, 2014 at 12:00 PM at the First Baptist Church, 126 Mt Pleasant Avenue, Rockaway, NJ 07801. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting a contribution in Dean’s name to the American Heart Association at https://donate.heart.org.
