Gerald Franklin Peterson

Gerald Franklin Peterson died at the age of 79 on Monday, August 1st, following a short battle with cancer. He was born April 12, 1937 in Lost Springs, KS., the son of Franklin and Esther Peterson. He was born in a little farmhouse that Franklin and Esther shared with Franklin's brother and sister-in-law, Curtis and Wynn Peterson.

Gerald graduated in 1955 from Wichita North High School in Wichita, KS. He completed his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering in 1960 and his Master's in Structural Engineering in 1963 from Kansas University. He was an avid Jayhawks fan his whole life. Gerald married Mary Shillerston on March 5, 1960 in Kansas City, MO. He worked the majority of his life in the aerospace industry and worked on all the Apollo Projects in the 1960's. Gerald did stress-testing on the Space Shuttles pay load bay doors and was involved with the Stealth Project while it was still top-secret. He was very active his whole life and like to do stained glass work, but his favorite past-time was spending time at the lake house with his family and dogs.

Gerald is survived by Mary, his wife of 56 years; 4 children: David Peterson and his children, Kaitlin and Anders; Joan and John Gooden and their children, Daniel and Hannah; Diane and Mark Stroud and their children, Gunnar, Collin and Mitchell; and Jay Peterson and his children, Jacob and Hailey Sharp and her husband and son, Blake and Harrison Sharp. He is also survived by his sisters, Lois Salmeron and her husband John and Maxine Nelson.

A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM, Monday, August 8, 2016 at Ascension Lutheran Church,4803 S. Lewis, Tulsa. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made the Oaks Indian Mission (oaksindianmission.org) or Fellowship Lutheran Church (flctulsa.org).