In Loving Memory Of E.Taylor Petersen Or Pata The Great

July 30^th Pata Petersen passed away. This was Robert’s grandfather and so my children’s great grandfather. I myself have known him for about 14 years (his wife taught me in Sunday school when I was younger). Taylor was one of the most spiritually in-tune men I have ever met in my life. I know that Robert looked up to his grandfather with great admiration. About 6 months ago Robert read the book that Taylor wrote about his life. Robert read it at work on his breaks and at lunch. He would come home from work and share the stories with me, some of them made me laugh some of them made me want to cry but the anticipation was always there to hear the next. He was so glad that he had the chance to read it through before he passed. He was able to call him and tell him how much he appreciated the time he took in writing his own his life story. I hope I can be better about that for my kids so thank you Pata for setting that example because that was such a great gift. One thing I know Mackay will always remember is that Pata is the one who knew the secret to catching lizards and that was to take off your belt and smack them just hard enough to stun them so that you could pick them up. The great Pata and Moema’s house has tons of lizards that live around it and when we go to visit Mackay is on a constant lizard hunt. Now Jonah loved giving Pata knucks, shake and bake, pound it, you know whatever you want to call it. As Pata got sicker and weaker and wasn’t able to get a tight hug we all resulted to knucks. Jonah got a kick out of that. He thought that was just pretty dang neat, however all the kids did but I think Jonah thought it was some kind of super hero move him and Pata had going on. Hallie liked doing the exploding knucks the best. He was an extremely faithful man and one that we can all look up to. We will miss him very much. Till we meet again…

"A Man of Principle and Integrity"

E. Taylor Petersen, age 74, passed away peacefully at his home in Hurricane, Utah, on July 30, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born April 3, 1935, the second child of Elmer (Bud) Petersen and Leah Eleanor Taylor Petersen, in Helper, Utah. Taylor lived in Helper until completing High School after which he moved, at age 17, to Salt Lake City working at Hill AFB, Utah as an airplane mechanic apprentice. It was in Salt Lake City that he met and married Norma Jean Meyn in 1954. They were sealed in the Salt Lake temple in 1955. Taylor and Norma Jean were blessed with 5 children, 4 daughters and one son, who are the pride and joy of their lives.

In March of 1954, Taylor enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving for 20 years, primarily in missile electronics at Vandenberg AFB, California. He also spent one year in Korea, 3 ½ years in France and another year on Johnson Island in the South Pacific. During his Air Force career he received a Bachelors degree in Business Management from LaVerne University.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1974, Taylor was invited to work with the Church Educational System as an Institute Director and CES Coordinator. This position took him to Santa Maria and Simi Valley, California, Boston, Massachusetts, where he was a director of the Institute serving Harvard, MIT and other colleges and universities in th e Boston area. After six years in Boston, Taylor was assigned to Flagstaff, Arizona. In 1999 he was asked to finish his career with Church Education in Hilo, Hawaii. It consisted of one year professionally and then he and Norma were called on a mission to direct the Institute in Hilo, and administer the Seminaries and Institutes on the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Taylor truly enjoyed his Air Force career, and cherished his nearly 30 years in the Church Educational System, loving the hundreds of students he had in his many classes. During his time in CES he completed his Masters in Family Counseling at California State University at Northridge, and his Doctoral studies at Brigham Young University in Educational Leadership.

Taylor loved the Church and the Lord’s work, serving in many positions, including District and Branch President, Bishop, Stake Mission President and on several High Councils. Taylor’s motivation in this world was 1 Nephi 3:7 - "I will go and do what the Lord hath commanded..."

He is survived by his spouse, Norma Jean Petersen of Hurricane, and his children Teri Lyn Harris of Henderson, Nevada, Linda Edie of Hurricane, Utah, Mimi Heckaman of San Diego, California, Mark Petersen of San Diego, California and Pamela Walden of Simi Valley, California, fourteen grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 6, 2009, at 12:00 p.m. at the Sky Mountain Chapel, 452 N. 2600 W., Hurricane, UT. Friends and family may call Wednesday, August 5, 2009, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, and also Thursday, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. prior to services, at the Chapel. Interment will take place in the Springdale Cemetery.