James P. Peterson

A Memorial Service for James Paul Peterson, age 64, will be held at St. Paul United Church Of Christ, 144 East Palatine Road, Palatine, 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 with Pastor David Mercer presiding.  The Interment will be private.

Jim passed away on Sunday, September 10, 2017.  He was born to Evelyn (Baum) and John Peterson on March 20, 1953.  Jim grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois, and graduated from York High School.  He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and later transferred to the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mathematics.  

Jim worked first for AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey.  He returned to Bell Labs in Naperville for about a year, then 24 years at Motorola in Schaumburg in their Cellular Division.  He finally worked nearly 10 years as a software engineer for Vail Systems, Inc., in Deerfield.  Jim was an avid bicycle rider from childhood and throughout his adult life, even working for a short time in a bike shop, repairing bicycles.  Jim once rode coast to coast over a period of about 6 weeks from Oregon back home to New Jersey.  Jim also had a strong interest in butterflies, collecting them as a child, then volunteering with the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, not only monitoring butterflies but helping to develop their website and the database of observations.  Jim was passionate in his concern for all animals and was especially active in cat rescue and caring for cats.  

Jim is survived by his father, John; two brothers, Tom (Sue Glad) and Dave (Cindy); a sister, Nancy (Dagfinn Eriksen), and seven nieces and nephews.  Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Evelyn.

Memorials in Jim’s memory may be made to PAWS Chicago  (http://www.pawschicago.org/, 773-475-4242), Working Bikes (http://www.workingbikes.org/, 773-847-5440 2434, S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60608), Natural Resources Defense Council (https://www.nrdc.org/, 212-727-2700, 40 W. 20th St., NY, NY 10011), Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (http://www.dbsalliance.org/, 800-826-3632, 55 E. Jackson Blvd, Suite 490, Chicago, IL 60604)