James T Peterson

James Thomas Peterson, Oshkosh, passed to eternal life Saturday April 9th at Bella Vista Manor at the age of 80. He was born January 24, 1936 at St. Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac, WI. The family moved from their farm to Oshkosh before Jim began grade school. Following graduation from St. Marys, he attended Oshkosh High school and Oshkosh State College. In August 1956, he began working as lab technician in the research and development department at Marathon Corp., Neenah. He contributed to the development of several products that were later patented. He was proud to have his name on the patents.In January 1973, he joined Paragon Products Corp., Oshkosh as a Technical Director. He left Paragon in May 1976 to partner with his friend and colleague Clarence Gereau in the startup of a new business, Blended Waxes, as vice president and lab director. They put in long hours building the business and it is still going strong. One of his favorite projects was developing a wax for Behringer Winery in California that was used on the top of their wine bottles. He retired from Blended Waxes in the spring of 2003. Jim Married Pat Anderson in 1956 and they raised two sons, Jamey and Dan. Jim enjoyed fishing, traveling, and spending time with his family. With the winnings from a Readers Digest contest, the family took a trip to California and Hawaii. He also enjoyed bowling and playing softball. Jim and Pat were later divorced.In January of 1994, Jims friend Jim Gonyo set him up on a blind date with Judie Schiel. Judie jokes that was the only blind date she ever hadnever needed to do that againdidnt need to! Jim and Judie married October 3, 1998. Jim and his family welcomed Judie and her son Aaron to the family. It was a joyous time. They enjoyed 17 years together as a dedicated couple who laughed, loved, and lived together as a team.In retirement, Jim continued golfing and sinking amazing puts with his special 2 foot putter. He had a love affair with cars that began as a young man. Two of his favorite girls were a 1969 Mustang convertible and a 1937 Packard 2 seater coupe. He rebuilt the Packard from the ground up over the course of many years and with the help of his brother-in-law, Bill Schiel, it was completed and running. In May 2015, despite the physical limitations of Parkinsons, he climbed into that car and took a ride through Menominee Park; smiling ear to earJim was a proud, honest, loving man who cherished time with his family. True to his Norwegian heritage, he stubbornly fought the ravages of Parkinsons disease until his last breath.Jim is survived by his wife, Judie; his sons; Jamey (Melbourne, FL) and Dan (Wendy) Palm Bay, Fl; stepson Aaron Williams, Milwaukee; his brother, Bob (Mary) Peterson; sisters-in-law, Karen (Richard)Baker, St. Cloud; Dana Shiel, Sun Prairie; brother-in-law, Bill Shiel, Madison; grandchildren Abbie(Joe)Griswold, Oshkosh Luke (Tiffany) Kunde, Oshkosh, Sam(Chris Fitzgerald) Kunde, Minneapolis; Delilahrose and Miles Williams, Milwaukee and great-grandson Jackson Springer, Oshkosh. Jim is further survived by many dear nieces and nephews in Wisconsin, California, and Oregon. Jim is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Miriam Schafer; brother-in-law, Stu Schafer; mother-in-law, Mickey Schiel; and grandson Henry Williams.A visitation and memorial service will be held Thursday, April 14, 2016 at Bella Vista, 631 Hazel St, Oshkosh (old Mercy Hospital). Visitation will be from 12:30-2:15pm. The memorial service will follow the visitation at 2:30pm. Jims family extends our sincere gratitude to the staff of Bella Vista. Also, the Generations Hospice Team- Sue, Kim, Sydney and Chaplin Jim. They are all angels and Jim was blessed to have been in their care.In lieu of flowers Donations to the American Parkinson Disease Foundation or any organization of your choice will be sincerely appreciated.We will miss having Jim in our lives. He remains in our hearts until we see him again I thank God every time I remember you I have you in my heart Philippians 1: 3, 7 NIV

Bella Vista



631 Hazel St.
Oshkosh
WI
54901

00:00.0
12:30pm



Bella Vista



631 Hazel St.
Oshkosh
WI
54901

00:00.0
2:30pm