Funeral services for Ralph J. Petersen were held April 1, 1993 at the Cedar Memorial Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the Chapel of Memories. Reverend Ronald Blix of the Christ Community United Methodist Church officiated the service with Karmen Shedenhelm as the organist. The Masonic Rites were by the Marion Masonic Lodge No. 6.

Interment was held in the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers were L. Dean Redmon, Warren Smith, Jim Fry, Ron Olson, George Zinser, George Peirce, Howard Todd, George Chmelicek, and Phil Welsch.
Ralph Petersen, son of Harry and Catherine Petersen, was born in Manning, Iowa on July 11, 1929.
He graduated from Manning High School in 1947 and attended I.S.T.C. at Cedar Falls.

He served in the U.S. Navy for four years.

On February 20, 1954 Ralph was united in marriage to Grace Means in California and returned to Des Moines where he entered the insurance business. Later he moved to Marion where he was the co-owner of the B-Line Company.
Ralph retired about three years ago and devoted his time as the recorder in the Shriners' office in Cedar Rapids.

He was preceded in death by his parents.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Grace, of Marion; his son, Bob, of Prior Lake, Minnesota; daughters: Nancy Lord of Florida and Susan and her husband, Larry Atwater, of Cedar Rapids; a grandson, Jordan Atwater; a brother, Harold Petersen and his wife, Pat, of Laguna Hills, California; sisters: Dorothy and her husband, Glenn Rowedder, of Manning, Iowa and Jan and her husband, Dick McConnell, of Early, Iowa; sister-in-law, Margaret Means, of Chicago and many other relatives and friends.