Jeff "12er, Pete" Petersen

Jeff “12er, Pete” Petersen, age 61, passed away on August 20th, 2026. Jeff was born in Monona, Wisconsin, on March 1st, 1965.

Jeff is survived by his wife of 36 years, Mary; his two sons, Steven Petersen (Brittany Rich) and Kyle Petersen (Maddie Villwock); his siblings, Dick Petersen (Nancy Watson), Lana Chetwood (Mike Bingham) Debbie (Harry) Briggs and Gary (Christine) Petersen; his aunts, Sally White and Virginia Lochner; his sister-in-law, Wendy Moran; his best friend of many years, Mike Blaser (Tracy); and his second mom, Marlene Blaser. Jeff is further survived by many other family and friends.

Jeff is preceded in death by his mother, Elaine Petersen; his brother-in-law, Duane Moran; his nephew, Joe Tennyson; and his parents-in-law, Bernard and Virginia White.

Jeff graduated from Monona Grove in 1983, where he met his high school sweetheart over a game of Euchre. Jeff and Mary moved to the Milwaukee area in 1989, where he worked at various places; his favorite was being at Miller Brands in Wauwatosa. Jeff and Mary were joined in matrimony on June 2nd, 1990. Jeff had the ability to entertain with his humor. Creating laughter was his true gift. One of his favorite pastime activities was playing softball; he would play as much as he could. Softball led him to meet new people and form friendships. After his softball playing days were over, he went on to umpire in the Lake Country area. Jeff coached both of his sons in the Waukesha Blazer’s organization. His love for sports didn’t stop at softball; he was a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Cowboys, Wisconsin Badgers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Jeff’s greatest role was that of a father. There was not a thing he wouldn’t do for his kids. A long 1,431-day battle with cancer didn’t dampen his mood; he had more he wanted to do and see. He fought to stay on this earth every day, but Heaven needed the lefty to come in and pitch.

Thank you to the amazing people who cared for Jeff through this terrible disease. A special thanks to Dr. Raza and his Cancer Center team for their kindness and allowing Jeff to find some joy in all the treatment. Thank you to the Pro Health Outpatient therapy staff and Angels Grace Hospice for making his final 12 days comfortable and peaceful.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the family are welcome.

A visitation to honor Jeff's life will take place Sunday, September 13th, 2026 at Pagenkopf Funeral Home (2228 N. Silver Maple Lane, Oconomowoc WI, 53066) from 10am – 12pm with service to follow at 12pm. Pastor Nick Slater is presiding. Following the service, there will be a luncheon at the funeral home

Please feel free to wear a baseball hat and/or sports attire with the number 12 on it.

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” -William Woodsworth.