John William Peterson

John W. Peterson, a longtime resident of Renton, Washington, passed away at the age of 74 in his home on August 28, 2025, while surrounded by family. 

John was born to Roy and Lois Peterson on September 27, 1950, in Bellingham, Washington. When he was two years old, the family relocated to Issaquah, where John lived for the next 16 years and formed several lifelong friendships. In school, John excelled in academics and sports and was often recognized for both his intelligence and athleticism. He graduated from Issaquah High School in 1969, and briefly attended Seattle University before realizing his heart was in Pullman at Washington State University (WSU)—where he became a lifelong Cougar fan. 

While at WSU, John received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science. He also met his first wife Marianne, with whom he shared three children: Dawn, Heidi and Mike. 

Shortly after his time at WSU, John went to law school at Gonzaga University and earned his Juris Doctor (JD) degree. He used his knowledge of the law as an opportunity to help others who couldn’t afford a lawyer by providing free (pro bono) legal advice and services, including help with adoptions, divorces and immigration. He continued to offer pro bono legal services throughout his entire life. 

After law school, John moved back to western Washington to work for Alaskan Copper & Brass and raise his family. He also worked as a union rep for Public School Employees of Washington. In 1982, he started his own union called United Classified Workers, which represented all of King County. It was a union he was proud of and continued to run for 10 years. John also played semi-pro football during this time—a game he loved since he was a young child. He played for teams such as the Eastside Express and Seattle Cavaliers, and loved every single minute of it. 

In 1994, John married his best friend, Sheila, and they remained inseparable ever since. A few years after they married, John enrolled in aeronautical school at South Seattle Community College to learn how to repair airplanes. At one of the school’s job fairs, John was introduced to some Boeing representatives and they offered him an engineering job on the spot. During his Boeing tenure, he made many friends and also earned a post doctorate degree in intellectual property law through the University of Washington. After 19 years, John officially retired from Boeing.

The thing John was most proud of in life was his family. He loved family gatherings at their Sun Cove house, attending his kids’ and grandkids’ activities and sporting events, offering them life advice, lively conversations and friendly debates, and watching football games together—GO COUGS! He also enjoyed frequent ice-cream runs to Dairy Queen, weight-lifting, listening to music, tinkering with old cars, building cool things from scratch, art, history, reading and always learning something new. John valued knowledge and was always a seeker of truth. He was a proud member of the Washington State Bar Association, National Rifle Association and local parapsychology and dowsing clubs. 

John was truly one of a kind, and he will be greatly missed. 

He is survived by his wife Sheila Peterson; siblings Roy Peterson and Linda Sturza; children Dawn Husmoe (Brent), Heidi Moors (Jeff), Mike Peterson (Lisa), Chris Ward (Gary) and Pamela Albrecht; nine grandchildren and one great grandson. 

A celebration of life will be held at Renton Technical College (Building H) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2025 (what would’ve been his 75th birthday). Friends and family are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Mirror Ministries (Richland, Washington). 

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