September 30, 1936 – November 12, 2022 Kermit DeLayn Peterson, 86, was laughing and joking with loved ones only a few hours before he passed peacefully in his sleep, from this life, on November 12, 2022, in Nampa.
He was born in Little River, Kansas, the third child to Mauritz and Edna Peterson. Kermit was very active and graduated from Little River High School.
He worked the wheat harvest, then was drafted in the U.S. Navy. Kermit served two years and specialized in electrical and instrumentation repairs.
He sailed all around the world, which had a lifelong transformational impact on him.
He returned to Ft. Hayes, Kansas State College, where he met and married his wife, Ollie Pearl Connally.
Nine months later twins, Cristi and Kip, arrived and 12 months after, they welcomed their second son, Darrin.
A third son, Konnel, was born eight years later to the delight of his older brothers and sister.
Kermit worked in Hutchinson Kansas. In 1965, the family made a big move west, to Nampa, to manage one of the first fast food restaurants in Nampa called the Kuku.
Kermit started in the health and life insurance business in 1967, and that ended up being his lifetime career until 2010, when he retired.
Kermit loved meeting people and was a natural salesman. He sold many different products throughout his years.
In 1973 he became active in the Civil Air Patrol in Nampa and later was instrumental in starting the McCall Civil Air Patrol Squadron.
Kermit loved flying and earned his pilot’s license and Instrument rating in 1976.
Kermit was active in the HAM club for 33 years, after he received his HAM license in 1986.
Kermit loved working with teacher Barbara Morgan in the astronaut program. He helped set up HAM communication between the astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavor on the STS-118 in August 2007 and the McCall schoolchildren while Morgan was in space.
In 1990 Kermit obtained his Idaho real estate license. He also had a snow removal business for many years, clearing snow for numerous Valley County residents.
He was a very active member of the American Legion, the Optimist Club, and the Elks Club in both Nampa and McCall for most of his adult life, and a member of the McCall Community Congregational Church and the McCall Snowmobile Club.
Kermit loved his country, serving his community, and spent his life helping wherever he saw need. He was a good mechanic, and he was very resourceful.
He designed, developed, and patented an aircraft engine heater and marketed it as “Kerm’s Quick Start,” selling it to backcountry pilots and farmers.
He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and riding anything with wheels.
In March 1980, Kermit moved to the McCall/Donnelly area where he lived for nearly 40 years.
Kermit was involved in several different relationships, but in 2013 he married Janice Christine Nelson Burkholder Butner.
Janice died suddenly of a stroke in March 2015, and six weeks later his son and best friend, Darrin, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep, deeply grieving Kermit.
Losing most of his earthly possessions in a destructive house and shop fire 15 months earlier added to the overwhelming devastation and shock.
Kermit remained optimistic, but the emotional stress from his deep losses, and how he coped, brought on the early onset of dementia.
In March 2019 Kermit moved to Assisted Living, where he lived until his passing. A special thanks to all his amazing care givers and friends.
Kermit will be sorely missed by his sister Doris Schulz, Fallbrook, California; his children Cristi (Greg) Heins, Tangent, Alberta, and Konnel (Annette) Peterson, Garden City; his daughtersin- law, Maureen Peterson, Nampa, and Amanda Roberts Peterson, Kuna; his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many special lifetime friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents Mauritz (1969) and Edna (1997); his wives Ollie (2009), Janice (2015) and Donna (2021); his sons Darrin (2015) and Kip (2021); his brother Lloyd Peterson (2010), and his sister Karen Heidebrecht (2016); brothers-in-laws Richard Heidebrecht (2018) and Harold Schulz (2016); sister- in-law Jean Peterson Mattson (2022); and his nephews Kevin Peterson (2010) and Lauritz Schulz (2022).
Two Celebration of Life services will be held in Kermit’s honor: Saturday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. at McCall Congregational Community Church, 901 N First St. in McCall. Lunch will follow.
Sunday, Dec. 11, at 9:45 a.m. at Sunny Ridge Care Center, 2609 Sunnybrook Dr., Nampa. Lunch will follow.
McCall service will be available at www.facebook. com/McCallCCC; choose “live” “Dec. 10, 2022.”
In lieu of flowers, Kermit would like you to serve someone in need.
