Carl Peterson Obituary

Carl R. Peterson passed away in his sleep early in the morning on September 13, after a brief illness. The irony and humor in his timing, departing on Friday the Thirteenth, was not lost on his loving family.

Carl was born in 1934 in Clawson, MI to Signor and Frances (McClure) Peterson. In high school, he was a three sport varsity athlete, homecoming king, class president, so smart he was a substitute teacher for his own classmates, and (later, according to his future wife) he looked like Paul Newman. In short, he was It. He went to the University of Michigan where he planned to play football (he said that due to a clerical error, Michigan thought he was an All State player when in fact he was "only All County.") However practice conflicted with chemistry lab. Much later, the coaching staff assured him they "could have fixed that." Upon graduation Carl went to MIT to study mechanical engineering, at the advice of a Michigan classmate who advised him that Boston girls were cute. In addition to eventually earning Master's and Doctorate degrees, he did indeed meet a stunning MGH nursing student on a blind date. He and Susan (Truby) Peterson were married soulmates for 66 years, and she survives him.

Carl worked in aeronautical engineering for many years, and the book he co-wrote in 1965, "The Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion," while perhaps never a popular best seller, is still in use and still earning royalties. He later pivoted to mining engineering and worked on mine excavating and safety. He and Susan settled in Boxford Massachusetts, where they raised a family and together restored and landscaped an old house that was home for 50 years. Carl eventually returned to MIT where he was a professor of mechanical engineering, teaching a popular design course where students created practical solutions to everyday problems. He loved teaching, and always said he learned more from his students than he ever taught them. For his "retirement," Carl designed and built a beautiful oceanfront home in Brooklin, Maine which his family continues to enjoy. He was also an avid gardener, tennis player, hunter, fisherman, lover of cats and dogs, and a talented watercolorist.

In addition to his wife, Carl is survived by son Mark (Jamie) in Altadena, California, daughter Laura Heiserman (Hewitt) in Southborough, Massachusetts, and four grandchildren: Sarah, Adeline and Andreas Peterson and Benjamin Heiserman. He was predeceased by his brother William Peterson, and he also leaves a niece and several nephews.

A private family service will be held at a later date. To honor his memory, feel free to give to the charity of your choice, and remember to love and encourage your own families, enjoy the great outdoors, and be kind to the cats and dogs.