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Subject: OBIT: PETERSON, ROALD A. "PETE"
Date: 9 Dec 2005 17:39:40 -0700

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Daily Independent newspaper Ridgecrest Ca Kern County
November 13, 2005

ROALD A. "PETE" PETERSON 1928-2005

Longtime Ridgecrest resident Roald A. "Pete" Peterson passed away on Sunday Nov. 6, 2005 from complications of a fall. He was 76.
Most recently a resident of High Desert Haven, Roald was born Nov. 12, 1928 in Boston, Mass. and named after the first man to reach the South Pole, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson, who died early that year in a plane crash. He attended Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and graduated Dorchester High School for Boys in 1947.
Roald joined the Army in 1948 and was trained in mountain combat at Camp Hale, Colo. In August 1950 he was sent to South Korea to support the Busan perimeter near Daigu prior to MacArthur's cominmg invasion at Inchon. Less than 2 weeks in country, he was engaged in fierce house to house combat near Waegwum village. While exposing himslef to enemy motor fire to rally his comrades and retrieve the wounded he was seriously injuried by shrapnel in the leg and returned home to Boston to convalesce. For his actions he was awarded the Korean Service Ribbon, a Bronze Service Star and a Purple Heart on Sept. 2, 1950.
Roald spent several years in Army hospitals and defied predictions he would never walk again. After recovering he attended business college in Boston. He worked for the US Postal Service for two years in Maine before transferring to Ridgecrest in 1961 and marrying his beloved wife Carmen Durbin in 1963. He was a rural mail carrier for the Ridgecrest Post Office until his retirement in 1981.
After retirement Roald kept busy with jobs such as security guard, process server and local gun store owner. Roald once again relearned to walk after being nearly paralyzed following spinal surgery in 2002.
His parents Lena and Even Peterson, his wife Carmen and his son Arturo precede him in death.
He is survived by his daughter Irma Ortiz, granddaughter, husband and great-grandchildren Monica and Robert Lopez, Veronica Ortiz, Erica Ortiz, and Irma Jimenez, granddaughter Angela Ortiz, nephew, wife and great niece Daniel, Cheryl and Jenica Warren all of Ridgecrest, sister and brother-in-law Jacqueline and Albert Warren of Inyokern, sister-in-law Ofelia Durbin of Santa Ana, his son Carlos del Castillo Durbin of Fresno, nephew Arturo del Castillo of Los Angeles, great nehew Ricardo del Castillo of Las Vegas, Nev., nephew, wife and great nephews Jonathan, Nicole, Evan and Cole Warren of Phoenix, Ariz., and niece, great niece, and great nephew Annette Warren, Chelsea Couchennour and Jonathan Couchenour of Boston.
A private memorial service is planned.
Media information provided by the family.

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