Dana "Mick" Petersen | July 10, 1932 - December 3, 2020
Obituaries-Pierre / Posted Jun 14, 2021 | 9:13 AM / 621 views
A memorial service will be held at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Pierre at 1:00pm, Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Dana Blake (“Mick”) Petersen died at home in Pierre on December 3, 2020, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.
Mick was born July 10, 1932, in Armour, South Dakota, to H. R. (“Pete”) and Ruth (Phoenix) Petersen. He graduated from Armour High School in 1952. Mick was a talented athlete and played basketball, baseball, and football. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1952 and was stationed in Alameda, California, and spent seven months in Kodiak, Alaska, during the Korean War.
Mick married Phyllis Serr in Armour, South Dakota, on June 7, 1959. Mick took a job with Blue Cross Blue Shield in 1965 and moved to Rapid City. In 1968, Mick was transferred and moved with his family to Pierre. He worked as an account executive with Blue Cross until 1986, when he took early retirement due to corporate restructuring. He then went to work for the South Dakota Department of Labor, Division of Insurance as an insurance investigator, where he worked until his retirement in 1993.
Mick was an avid golfer, pool player, fisherman, and occasional pheasant and deer hunter. He was handy with tools and completed many DIY home improvement projects. He also built, with the assistance of his friends Bob Crawford and Jordan Thomas, the “Chicken Ship” (sailboat), a catamaran, and an iceboat.
Mick was a member of the Congregational Church, where he sang in the choir for many years with his friend, Marshall Miller, and the rest of the “Back Row Boys.”
After he retired, Mick never missed his morning coffee with the “boys” at the Ramkota. He and Phyllis also enjoyed traveling, exploring South Dakota, visiting his daughters in California, and trips to Alaska and Hawaii.
Mick is survived by his wife Phyllis; his daughters, Betsy (Gary) Mayer and Jill Petersen (Fred Hepp); his son, Marc; and grandchildren Henry and Anna Hepp. He is preceded in death by his father and mother, and his brother, Don.
