Donald L. Peterson

Donald Louis Peterson was born on October 17, 1937 in Omaha, NE to Elmer Petersen and Leona Oberst Kalmen. He spent a good portion of his youth on his grandparent’s farm in Tekamah, NE. He even began attending school in the one room school in town. When he was a little bit older Don returned to living with his mother in Minnesota where he finished his primary and secondary education and was very active in both ROTC and color guard. While Don wanted to join the Air Force, he had flat feet which was considered at disability at that time, and was denied admission. Instead, he attended and graduated from University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management. Don did not let go of his love of flying and went on to get his pilot’s license and flew all over the country. This was invaluable early on in his career as he was able to fly himself to his various business appointments around his midwestern territory. Don married Pauline Ahlberg on November 13, 1971 and they continued Don’s jet set lifestyle traveling across the country. When they weren’t traveling, they enjoyed taking their boat out on the St. Croix River which ran behind Don’s mother’s house in Bayport, MN. When Don’s job at ACCO offered the opportunity to move to Illinois in 1978 they settled in Green Oaks where they would make their home for over 40 years. They took great pride in keeping their home in immaculate condition inside and out and were always ready to host friends and family alike. Their very first winter in Illinois there was a blizzard where the snow drifts completely blocked the front door – they felt right at home! In addition to moving their lives to Illinois they also moved their boat to the Chain of Lakes in Fox Lake, IL. They went all in on the lake life experience and purchased a condo in Vacation Village to allow them to spend extended time out on the water during the summers. They spent many years enjoying the community, the boat and the chain. Don was with ACCO for over 20 years and proudly held the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for many years before his retirement. He was a well-respected and known figure in the school, home and office products industry, winning many awards and accolades over the years. Aside from his professional accomplishments Don was a very devoted family man spending whatever time he could with his wife, daughter and eventually grandchildren. He enjoyed attending the kids sporting and school events and taking them out for ice cream after or spending an afternoon full of sun and swimming out on the boat. After Don “retired” he kept himself busy by starting his own consulting business in addition to turning his leadership skills towards personal interests. He was a very involved member of his church, Grace Lutheran in Libertyville. He was on the board at various times over the years and was a long-standing member of the men’s breakfast group among other positions. One of his most favorite organizations that he was a member of was the GLMV Chamber of Commerce. He was a fixture at mixers, grand openings and meetings, even acting as interim president during a brief transitional period. If there was free food, Don was there! Don was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Leona, stepmother Helen Petersen, Great-Aunt Frances Turner (who was like a second mother to him); Sister-in-law Susan (Dick) Weikle; Brother-in-law Denny Ahlberg; brother-in-law Rick Quistad among other cherished family members. He is survived by his wife Pauline Peterson, daughter Dana (Eric) Rojas and grandchildren Wren, Nathan and Kaitlyn Rojas; sisters Linda Quistad and Sandra (Larry) Schmieg; and many nieces and nephews. A visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m. followed by a funeral service at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, 2026 at Burnett-Dane Funeral Home, 120 W. Park Ave. in Libertyville, IL. Interment will in Tekamah Cemetery in Nebraska. For info: 847-362-3009 or share a memory at www.burnettdane.com.

Donald L. Peterson

October 17, 1937 - August 2, 2026