Norman O. Peterson, age 92, of Eau Claire, WI, was called to his heavenly home Saturday, May 21, 2016, in Eau Claire with loving family by his side. Norman was born November 6, 1923, the oldest child of Gilbert and Martha (Dahl) Peterson. His childhood was spent in Eau Claire, attending Ninth Ward school and graduating from Eau Claire High School in 1942. His summers were spent working on his grandfather's and uncles' farms in Elk Mound. He had a close extended family and many cousins growing up. He proudly served his country during WW II in the US Army Air Corps, enlisting in November of 1942. He served as a bomber mechanic in the Pacific on the Island of Tinian, a member of 504th Bombardment Squad. He was honorably discharged in January of 1946, attaining the rank of SGT. Norman married his dear wife, Bernadette Welter of Eau Claire, on September 26, 1948, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. They resided in Eau Claire, with Norman using reclaimed lumber from an old house he tore down to build the home where they lived for over 60 years. Norman worked at Uniroyal for 41 years as an instrument man and in pipe shop maintenance. He was so talented with his hands there wasn't much he couldn't do. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, especially in Canada, woodworking, boating on Lake Wissota, taking care of his home, coffee with friends at McDonald's, watching the Brewers, telling stories about everything and everyone with his fantastic memory and spending time with his family. He was so proud of his Norwegian heritage and his father, who emigrated from Norway in 1887, and his maternal grandparents who emigrated in 1881. He enjoyed reading many books about Norway and loved all Norwegian food, especially lefse and lutefisk. He often told how the relatives would speak Norwegian when they didn't want the children to hear what was being said, but they grew to understand the language more and more. Norman was a determined, hard-working man, raised during the depression with his sister and brother, and as a result he would much rather fix something than buy it new. He was a frugal man, but very generous to others too, often making donations to people and organizations in need. He was a life-time member of First Lutheran Church (now Spirit Lutheran) in Eau Claire, earlier serving often as an usher and on the church council. His faith was very important to him; he never missed a Sunday at church unless he was ill. He was a dedicated member of VFW Post 7223 and American Legion Post 53. Norman is survived by three daughters, Connie (James) Martenson of Altoona, Jane (Michael) Lendle of Eau Claire and Mary (Daniel) Campbell of Chippewa Falls; six grandchildren, Jennifer Schultz-LaVoncher (Jeff), Jessica (Joe) Rodenwald, Angela Lendle, Kate Lendle, Grace (Adam) Gilmore and Jason Doud; thirteen great-grandchildren, Hayden and Sophia Schultz; Mason, Ava and Kendall LaVoncher; Madeleine, Noah, Isaac, Micah and Gemma Rodenwald; Cora and Elsa Gilmore; and Sé