Dennis Wayne Peterson

Dennis Wayne Peterson, 67, Roscommon, died March 25, 2020, at Munson Medical Center, Traverse City.

He was born in Tawas Nov. 15, 1952, the son of LeRoy and Marjorie (Rainsberger) Peterson. He graduated from Arenac Eastern High School as the class salutatorian in 1970. He attended Michigan State University with hopes of becoming a grade school teacher. Because of a lengthy illness the winter of his junior year of college, he was forced to drop out, but had hopes of returning the following fall. During the summer of that year, he was hired as a union carpenter and continued to work as such for years.

He had lived in Turner, St. Helen, Prudenville and Roscommon. He and Tamara Lynn “Lindy” Miller of Frederic were united in marriage Sept. 14, 2010, at Roscommon Baptist Church.

Mr. Peterson had a love for weightlifting and body building. He purchased vacant property on M-55 at Houghton Lake and spent his evenings and weekends building Body & Soul Health Club. He hired individuals and local businesses to help with whatever he could not do himself. Due to the State of Michigan’s executive order, the gym closed temporarily, and his family plans to reopen it.

The same week he opened the gym, more than 35 years ago, he was hired by the United States Postal Service as a part-time window clerk. A member of the American Postal Workers union, he worked in many post offices in the area during his career, including St. Helen, Houghton Lake, Roscommon, Higgins Lake, Frederic, Coleman and Houghton Lake Heights.

In recent years, he had worked as a full-time window clerk at the Harrison Post Office, where he was working the day he fell ill Feb. 5 of this year. He underwent back-to-back emergency surgeries due to blood clots in his intestines and fought for seven weeks.

Mr. Peterson was a member of the Roscommon County Christian Choir and was known for narrating the Christmas and Easter cantatas. His love of fishing and desire to protect the flora and fauna in and around Houghton Lake led him to serve as treasurer for the Houghton Lake Lake Association, which he did for many years. He was an avid hunter and fisherman who volunteered for many years at the church’s annual wild game dinner, working in the kitchen deep-frying fish.

He was a member of Roscommon Baptist Church, where he served as a member of the church’s building committee. He was a past member of Gideons International, an association of Christian business and professional men who distribute Bibles and New Testaments.

He had a great love for children and was an adoptive and foster dad to many youths throughout his life.

Preceding Mr. Peterson in death were his father, LeRoy Peterson, in 2017; father-in-law, John Miller of Frederic, in 2013 and a nephew, Bailey Miller of Grayling & Ohio who died in 2017.

Surviving are his wife, Lindy Peterson of Roscommon; mother, Marjorie Beth Peterson of Merrill; children, Angela (T.J.) Dombrowski of South Carolina, Chad Peterson of Florida, Alex Peterson of Midland, Isaac Peterson of Tustin, Dennae Peterson of Tustin and Abigail Peterson of Tustin; stepchildren, Hope Stanaway Peterson and Logan Stanaway, both of Roscommon; sisters, Marlene (Terry) Peterson-Decio of St. Joseph, Julie (John) Vanderweide of Sparta and Lynette (Rich) Violette of Sanford; mother-in-law, Valerie Miller of Frederic; brothers-in-law, John (Dana) Miller of Frederic and Timothy Miller of Nashville, TN; sisters-in-law, Pamela (Eric) Nelson of Midland and Vicki (Brian) Jacobs of Frederic; and many nieces and nephews.