Obituary

Robert Coats Petersen, 90, passed away on Friday, June 27, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bob was born July 23, 1923 to Alfred Eugene Petersen and Elizabeth Coats Petersen in the farming community of Granger, Utah (now part of West Valley City.) He was the first of Alfred and Bessie's three sons (Bob, Nelsen and Dean), and their only child to survive to adulthood.

After his father's untimely death in 1926, Bob, along with his mother and baby brother Dean, moved in with his widowed grandmother, Mary Edith Hunter Coats. Bob grew up on his grandmother's farm which was located approximately where Bangerter Highway and 4700 South are today. His younger brother Dean died of heart disease when Bob was 16.

Bob was a WWII veteran who fought in the Asiatic-Pacific theater. In September 1942, at the age of 19, he joined the Marines and became part of the 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Division. He trained with the 828th Platoon in San Diego and New Zealand, and took part in the Guadalcanal Campaign.

As a machine gun crewman with weapons qualifications as a sharpshooter, he also fought in the battle of Bougainville in 1943, the battle of Guam in 1944, and the battle of Iwo Jima, Japan in early 1945. He was discharged in October, 1945.

His military records state he was not wounded in battle, but suffered from "battle fatigue" (PTSD.) Bob didn't often speak of his experiences in the war, but he did receive awards and other forms of recognition for his service.

When the movie "Sands of Iwo Jima" came out in 1949, John Wayne sent out autographed photos of himself along with movie tickets to the survivors of Iwo Jima, including Bob. The inscription said, "To a real hero of Iwo Jima. -John Wayne."

After the war, he married Betty Burt (later divorced) and had six children: Kenneth (Cheryl), Jan (John), Jill (Jerry), Robyn (Jim), Sandra and Clint (Angela).

Bob was employed at Kennecott Copper Mine and worked the family farm in Granger. He later retired and sold his farm. He enjoyed hunting, camping and vacationing in Mexico.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, his eldest son, Ken Petersen and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Saunders Hall Petersen. He is survived by his wife Barbara, five children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. (14 great-grandchildren, as of 2016.)

A memorial, including a military honor guard, will be held in Bob's honor on what would have been his 91st birthday at the Taylorsville Memorial Park Cemetery at 11:30 AM. A luncheon will follow at the Harman LDS Ward in West Valley City.

His remains were cremated and interred at his favorite campsite in the Book Cliffs. A memorial headstone was placed in his memory in the Petersen family plot in the Taylorsville Cemetery.