Obituary: Kenneth Petersen, 92, Hamlin Township.

Kenneth Petersen

Obituary: Kenneth Petersen, 92, Hamlin Township. 

Kenneth M. Petersen, 92, of Hamlin Township passed away on Wednesday June 21, 2017.  Ken was born on May 29, 1925 to Myers and Florence Petersen.  Except for the time he spent in the military, Ken resided his entire life near the mouth of the Middle Bayou on Hamlin Lake.  As a young boy he helped his father with his resort, the White Birch Inn, which was a fishing guide business.

Ken enlisted in the Navy in 1942 to fight in WWII.  His father had to sign for him because he was only 16-years-old when he enlisted. When he returned home in 1946 he built a home on the south side of the Middle Bayou, only a hundred yards from the White Birch Inn where he was born.

He met Laura Evans from Youngstown, Ohio.  In 1952, they were married and they adopted two sons, Gregory and Brad.

Ken worked a short time on the car ferries in Ludington.  He then worked 29 years for Jackson Vibrators, later called Harsco Track Technologies, before he retired.

In his retirement years, Ken was able to follow his passion and spent a lot of time fishing and hunting.  He also used his welding skills in repairing boats and creating “yard art.” As his mobility declined Ken had to spend more time in the house than he wanted to, but he still enjoyed sitting by his work bench making fishing lures, tying flies, and building fishing rods. If you went to visit him and if he saw you observing the pile of fishing rods leaning against the wall – he would smile and say, “I already have 35, but a man can never have enough fishing rods.”

If you wanted to know anything about the history of Hamlin Township – Ken was the “go-to” guy. The history of the Petersen family goes back 130 years to his grandfather Nels Peter Petersen who was a pioneer that came to Hamlin Township from Denmark in 1887.

Ken will truly be missed by his family, friends, and the community.  Ken had requested to have only a private family memorial service.