I echo Dick Johnson’s nice homage to Duane Peterson.  Duane was truly
a man among men.  I fondly remember his visits to my grandparents
(Bill and Mary Metcalfe).  He was treated like royalty by my
grandparents and he held a special place in the hearts of each
Metcalfe child.  You see, my grandmother was Native American and that
seemed to bother some people back then.  However, it never bothered
Duane or Lorraine Peterson.  They were not only the best of neighbors,
they were the best of friends.

I have written before about the house parties my grandparents use to
have.  Like the Strongs, Nerpels and Christiansons, Duane and Lorraine
made quite a few of those parties.  I remember how they would clear
the kitchen of furniture and dance the night away to music from my
mother, Lorraine Metcalfe, and Jack Metcalfe and Ole Bursinger.  As
kids, we watched all this from the vent in the upstairs floor.

A strong man to be sure, I remember the tears in Duane’s eyes when we
laid my Grandmother to rest.  Thereafter, he used to stop and visit my
Grandfather to check on him to make sure all was well.

I have wondered over the years how many times Duane got up in the
middle of cold night to pull someone out of the ditch.  There are
several tricky curves just west of his homestead.  Well, the curves
aren’t all that tricky; that is, unless you have just left the Kelvin
Klinic.  In any event, he pulled me out of the ditch one night.  I was
with Jean Tooke and Darrell Sebelius and we had just left Kelvin and
were headed to a party at Ted Nerpel’s home.  It was bitterly cold and
icy.  I entered one of the aforementioned curves a little too fast and
ended up in the ditch filled to the brim with snow.  A Bergan girl
happened by and gave all three of us a ride to Duane’s house.  Now,
one has to remember that it is about 1:30 in the morning and the
temperature was at least 20 below.  In any event, both Duane and
Lorraine got up.  Lorraine went to making something for us to eat and
Duane started the tractor.  He just kept smiling and shaking his head.
 He pulled my car out and made the comment that he would be willing to
stay there and watch to make sure I made the next curve!!  He laughed
out loud and headed back home.  I stopped back at Duane’s the next day
and brought several packages of deer sausage as I knew he would not
take any money for his services.  Again, he just shook his head and
chuckled, and then went about his chores.

Duane, I dare say, had a great life.  Lorraine, Connie, Mike, Kim and
Karen need to know that Duane had a lasting impact on most he met.
His kind and gentle way should be the way we all approach life and our
interaction with others.