Kendall Archie Peterson

Kendall A. Peterson, 79, of Northville, SD, a man devoted to his family, faith, work, and community, passed away Friday, August 19, 2022, at his home with his loving wife by his side. Kendall’s life defied many odds to make a lasting legacy for all who knew him.

The Funeral Service will be 1:30 p.m., Saturday, August 27, 2022, at Northwestern United Methodist Church in Mellette, SD with Pastor Jon Damaska and Pastor Doug Duncan officiating.

Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery Northville. A time of fellowship and luncheon will follow the burial at the Northville Community Association.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Friday, August 26th, at the mortuary.  Visitation continues one hour before the service at the church.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.  Family and friends may sign the online guestbook and also view the service at www.schriversmemorial.com.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a memorial donation be made to the Northville Community Association or Peterson Baseball Field

Memorial gifts can be sent to 38405 155th Street, Northville, SD, 57465 and will be given in your name to the above organizations.

Kendall Archie Peterson was born on April 12, 1943, to LaVaun (Bonnie) and Hubert Peterson, in Redfield, SD. He graduated from Northville High School and attended the University of South Dakota graduating with a degree in Economics and Business. While at college he met and married his wife of 59 years, Linda Jane Atkins of Sioux Falls. Together they had three children and three grandchildren.

Kendall began his career in sales with Lehigh Cement in Spokane Washington. In 1972, he joined Monsanto Agricultural Company and moved to Montevideo, Minnesota to work in Agricultural Sales. In the early 1970s, agriculture underwent a revolutionary transformation. During that time, Kendall’s pioneering work in no-till agricultural practices earned him national recognition, through his work in no-till farming techniques and in effectively using low-rate chemical applications to control weeds and improve crop yields. Kendall’s work resulted in numerous awards and recognition including a national Innovator award for No-till Farming practices, additionally, he received Monsanto’s top recognition for technical agricultural knowledge and sales on multiple occasions, and in 2013, he received the Leon J. Wrage award, South Dakota’s highest recognition given to an individual for exemplary service to the crop production industry. Although he was appreciative of the many awards and recognition, the most important aspect of his work was in helping fellow farmers preserve the land and produce better crops more efficiently and economically.

In his final days, many people reached out to Kendall expressing sincere appreciation for his friendship, counsel, and mentorship. A former colleague commented: “Kendall was gutsy enough to believe he could help change farming, bold enough to think differently, and ambitious enough to do it.”

Kendall’s accomplishments led to career opportunities in many parts of the country, yet he held to his boyhood dream of one day returning to his family farm and to the community he loved.

In 1975, he and his wife, Linda, moved their children to his hometown of Northville, SD, becoming the fourth generation of Petersons to steward the family homestead. There, in addition to running the farm, he continued to work as a District Manager for Monsanto.

Among the greatest rewards of his work were sharing practices with farmers and business people throughout the state, many of whom became lifelong friends.

In 1977, he purchased Spink County Fertilizer and Chemical and continued to serve the Ag community. Kendall served on the board of the South Dakota Wheat Commission and traveled throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Cuba to learn and share farming techniques.

Over the years, Kendall gave unselfishly of his time and financial resources to help revitalize and sustain his community. He was a founding member of the Northville Community Association and an active member of the Northville-Northwestern United Methodist Church. Together with his brother Kim, they built a new baseball complex in Northville and he built affordable housing to attract young families to the community. Kendall worked on these projects until the last days of his life believing that although we won’t live forever, we will live on in the future we make.

Among the most significant odds Kendall defied was in 1996 when he received the news that he had suffered complete heart failure, requiring a transplant. After sixty days of surviving on a heart pump at the University of Minnesota Hospital, he was blessed with the gift of a donor heart. He went on to live 26 years, an entire generation with his new heart, enabling him to witness the birth through college graduation of all his grandchildren. In July of 2022, Kendall was the oldest surviving heart transplant patient in the United States who had also survived COVID19.

Ken lived his entire life by the motto of “work hard, play hard.” He was the first to suggest a golf game, a pickleball match, a game of Back Up 8, or a family softball game. He was always a true competitor and worked hard to lead the winning team. Few seemed immune to Ken’s special knack for persuasion. His magnetic personality could capture your attention with a well-delivered joke and hold your attention with a convincing talk.

In one of the final conversations with his daughters, he was asked if there was something he still wanted to do. After thinking about it, he replied: “I can’t think of anything, I’ve had a good life. I’ve been around the world and there’s not a place I love more than the farm when everybody is there.” On Memorial Day weekend, the entire family gathered at the family home for a memorable time together.

Kendall is preceded in death by his son, Phillip Lee; his parents; and his grandparents.

Kendall is survived by his wife, Linda; daughters, Angela (Pat) Bernard of New Orleans, LA, and Amber (Jan) Scriver of Milbank, SD; grandchildren: Alexandra Scriver of Minneapolis, MN, Hannah (Austin Hoflock, fiancé) Scriver of Sioux Falls, SD, Frank Phillip Todaro of New Orleans, LA, Valerie (Ryan) Bernard Griffin of New Orleans, LA, and Braxton Bernard of Washington, DC; brother, Kim Peterson of Northville, SD; sister, Connie (Alonzo) Stover of Northville, SD; and aunts Audrey Boschee of Aberdeen, SD and Victoria Perry of California; and many nieces and nephews.