James Monroe Peterson Jr.

Declo – James Monroe Peterson Jr., age 67, passed away on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, at his home in Declo.

James was born July 24, 1945, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to James Monroe and Norma Wray Johnson Peterson. He was married to Sharon Hultgren in 1964, and though they later divorced, they remained friends throughout life.

He built log cabins in the summer in Alaska, then spent his winters in the Virgin Islands singing and playing guitar for a living. Later in life, he rode his three-wheel bike from Declo, Idaho, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the California coast with his dog.

Jimmy was a talented singer and guitarist, expert carpenter and knife maker, and fixer of all things in need. When his mother passed away in 1998, he returned to Declo to help care for his aging father. He gave his dad the privilege of living at home on the farm until his father’s death in 2010.

He will be lovingly missed by his brothers and sisters, friends, and especially by nieces and nephews who loved his humor and music.

He is survived by two sisters, Julia Dawn of North Carolina and Bonnie W P (Russell) Bair of Declo; three brothers, Wendell Bryant (Ivy) Peterson of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Jonathan L. Peterson of Burley, and Erik S. (Anita) Peterson of Draper, Utah.

James was preceded in death by his parents.

A graveside service was held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at the Declo Cemetery under the direction of the Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.