Dennis Petersen
Dennis Lee Petersen
Denny was never called Denny or Dennis by his pals. He was Pader, pronounced Payder. He was an easy going guy all his life and a friend to all. He loved Elvis and his hair was always in Ducktails. He sang Blue Suede Shoes as he walked and he walked fast in his bouncing gate, not because he was in any hurry, but because he was the tallest in our class and had a very long stride. He was the only one in our class who knew the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly had died overnight, not only did he know, he cried that day. On to our class. Pader came to the school I attended in 7th grade. Until that time he attended the four room schoolhouse in the neighboring town. He was a product of mixed grade schooling and had to walk only one block to school. His dad was the local grocer and had worked at the local Deep Rock gas station/farm equipment dealer in town. My school was the same but when the one room schools were removed from every few sections, his school was also consolidated. As a result we had the largest class of all, forty-one students! After graduation in 1964, Pader became a barber in a six chair shop. The walls were covered with mirrors and you could see forever when sitting in any of the chairs. By 1968 he received his greetings from our uncle and hopped aboard Streamliner 103 in Omaha for Susanville, CA. He had changed during the years he was gone and the first thing he did was buy a Challenger. He drove that rocket all it would go, proud he could take the S curves between our two towns at over a hundred. That is what did him in physically. He was still the popular guy he had been but to go with his fast car, there were fast women. He just wanted to live life to the fullest. We all still miss you and our hearts are forever heavy. PADER, you were a good sailor and a great man. Norman Greenbaums "Spirit in the Sky" was popular when you left us and it still tears us all apart. RIP buddy