Leland Arthur Petersen

Leland Arthur Petersen died on October 10, 2024, in Seattle, Washington. He was born on December 4, 1931, in Burien, Washington. Leland was predeceased by his wife of sixty years, Dorothy, his parents, Arthur and Nora Petersen, his brother, Kenneth Petersen, and his sister Dorothy Reda.

He grew up in Burien, riding horses and motorcycles. As a young teen, he went to Montana for his Summer break to help work on his relatives’ family farms. He got his Montana driver’s license so he could drive the farm equipment on the roads there. When he came back to Washington in the Fall, he was able to legally drive his Harley on the roads with his Montana license. He was only 13!

After graduating from Highline High School in Burien, Leland served as a Damage Controlman for four years in the Navy, obtaining the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. During this time, he travelled aboard the USS Chikaskia to far off places such as Japan, Korea, and Hawaii. He was awarded several medals, including the Korean Service Medal for serving during the Korean War. He also received the China Service Medal (Extended) for time spent in Chinese waters during the War.

In 1954, after completing his naval service and seeing the world, Leland came back to the Seattle area, where he followed in his father’s footsteps and trained to become a carpenter. He was an impressively hard worker, and spent his career building homes, industrial buildings and office towers.

One day after he returned from the service, Leland met Dorothy at a local burger stand where she was waitressing. They were married in 1956. They built a home on 5 acres in Des Moines, to which they moved in 1959, shortly after welcoming their first child into the world. They had two more children over the next four years and the family settled into an active lifestyle caring for and riding horses, camping, motorcycle riding and boating. When Leland was in his forties, he even took up slalom water skiing. Leland enjoyed hunting with his dad, brother and buddies, as well.

After their kids left the nest, Leland and Dorothy built a home on ten acres in Maple Valley, and moved there to be near Leland’s mom, brother and sister-in-law. Even after retirement, they didn’t slow down. They enjoyed 4-wheeling in their Jeep, camping, dirt-bike riding and street-bike touring to many destinations. Leland often could be found chopping wood on his property and driving his backhoe, Beulah. In spite of this active lifestyle, Leland found time to help family and friends with building projects and whatever else they might need help with.

Leland is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren: daughter Julie Pavel, her husband John, and their children Tyler Pavel and Alyssa Adams, Alyssa’s husband Ryan and their two children, Travis and Mallory; son Bryan Petersen, his wife Diane and children Arthur and Noreen Petersen, and Michelle and Jacob Chu; and son Chad Petersen along with Chad’s son Joshua.

Leland will be interred beside Dorothy at the Tahoma National Cemetery in a private service. In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored for donations to be made in Leland’s name to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. For more information, please visit https://alzfdn.org/donate/

Condolences may be left under Leland Petersen’s name in the Obituaries section at https://www.elementalnw.com/obituaries/