Noreen Thommessen (Bench-Heller)

I'm in shock !!!  The last time we talked everything was going just fine. I'm completly out of words   

Tom Pollock

Rest In Peace my friend , so glad we got reacquainted the last couple of years . You will be missed by many and I really enjoyed your paintings my friend . I am also glad you made our mini reunion . 

Terry Behrens

IN MEMORY OF …

Cary Petersen

(Class of ’75)

(April 10, 1957 - November, 2020)

Cary’s children will be having a small memorial for their father on Monday November 23, 2020 from 1:30 to 3:30 at Miller Funeral Home; 507 Scott Street in Folsom, CA. Family and friends are welcome to come celebrate Cary. Feel free to come and go as you please. If you have memories or pictures of him, please share with them.

 

Cary Lee Petersen unexpectedly passed away quietly in his home earlier this week at the age of 64. It is believed to have been a heart attack.  Born in Carmel, CA, Cary grew up in a tight-knit family. He was the 2nd of four brothers, aka “The Three Musketeers + One”, who resided in Monterey, Murphys, and Modesto, before settling in Rancho Cordova, CA. Predeceased by his father, Gerald (“Jerry”) Petersen, Jerry was a very beloved Babe Ruth League coach who also served as league President to the 13-15 year old division. On June 27, 1978, Jerry tragically died of a heart attack while coaching the game that he loved. And, in July of 1978 had the newly built Cordova varsity baseball field named after him … ‘Petersen Field’.

Cary graduated in 1975 from Cordova High School, and was recently inducted into the RCAA Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1974 Cross Country team. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic and is rescheduled tentatively in April 2021. The family will be there to accept the medal in Cary’s honor.

Cary served as a Sergeant in the US Air Force and later attended CSU Sacramento. From 1984-1995, he worked as a Correctional Peace Officer at San Quentin Prison and earned Folsom State Prison Officer of the Year accolades while attending Lincoln Law School and raising a family. In 1995, Cary became a Sacramento Family Law Attorney and served as Judge Pro Tem for the Sacramento Family Court. During retirement, he became an accomplished painter and penned several autobiographical short stories.

Cary’s greatest joys, however, were the times spent as “Papa” to his four grandchildren who he adored, and “Dad” to his three children, who were a source of immense pride. He will be sorely missed by a multitude of friends and his loving family: mother - Patricia Watts; father - Gerald “Jerry” Petersen (deceased); children - Elana (Bobby) Leyba, Brett Petersen, Jessica (Conrad II) Melancon; brothers - Joseph (Tami) Petersen, Victor (Mary) Petersen, Dante (Bernadette) Petersen; grandchildren - Mason, Tatum, Callie, Conrad III, and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews

Rest in Peace Cary … You will always be remembered as a beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, relative, friend, as our fellow Lancer alumnus and as "The Iceman" to your Correctional Peace Officer comrades.

 

Cary and his 3 children at Disneyland ...

 

Cary with his 3 grandchildren ...

Frank Shuck

Dear fellow Classmates,  It is with great sadness I was told of Cary's death this past week from his family.  

Fortunately I was able to visit Cary last summer with other friends from the Cordova XC team, little did I know it would be our last goodbye to each other.  We had wonderful time reminiscing our antics as well as our achievements as athletes under the guidance of Clarke Massey.  

Cary was a deep, loving,  and I mean this in the warmest of ways, complicated person, it's what I loved about him.  He was always fighting for the underdog and the respect I had for him is second to none.   Always a team player and a "parallel leader" on many levels.  Friendship and brotherly love were one of his core values that he embodied.   When I was struggling as a young man he took me in and helped me get back on my feet.  I will never forget his kindness. 

Over the years we never hesitated to check on each other even though I lived 800 miles away.   Our yearly visits were always a reminder of how far on the bottom we started after high school and how much we accomplished with resilience and perseverance.  Always encouraging each other, striving not just for success in life but to also flourish.   And when any one of us were down,, we were a phone call away.  I will miss Cary, his grin, his laugh, his genuine caring for others.
 

I found it curious, this past fall 2020, the 1974 Cordova XC Team "was" to be the inducted  into the Rancho Cordova Athletic Association Hall of Fame.  Cary and his brother Joe Petersen (1974) was on that team.  Because of the Covid-19 the induction was postponed until next year April 10th.   The induction happens to be on Cary's birthday (April 10th 1957)  We will be able to honor Cary again.  
 

Many blessings to Cary and his family, as I told his daughter Jessica, Cary is just a thought away and will never leave us, we are all closer than we know now.  
 

I would encourage all to pick up the phone or txt a friend, even just to say, " I was thinking about you"  the most important thing we have in this life is relationship.   Without relationship we become lost.  With love and friendships we are never lost.  Frank Shuck 
 

Noreen Thommessen (Bench-Heller)

I went to the Memeorial yesterday & talked with Cary's youngest daughter ... there will be a more formal Memorial service sometime in April !!  While I was there I was the only one from Cordova that showed up, some may have come after I left, there was a lot of people there are !!  Our renewed friendship went to quickly, so glad he showed up for our 45 Reunion Get Together ... regret he never got the chance to drive his car over to see me !!