Paul F. Peterson, 80 years old, passed away Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 12:34 pm in his home in Cedar City, Utah. He was born on April 17, 1945 in Salt Lake City to Ferdie and Dona Peterson. He grew up in Murray, Utah, attended Murray High School, served an LDS mission in East Berlin, and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Paul was a jeweler, an ecclesiastical leader and teacher, and a lifelong learner. He loved all genres of music and instilled a love of music in those around him. He was always game for a pun or a dad joke and has extensive collections of movies, cabby hats, pins, snarky t-shirts, watches, albums, and funny socks. He made everyone feel included, loved, and valued. We will miss his humor, humility, warmth, and wit.
He is survived by: his wife, Mary Jane McBean, Cedar City, Utah; his 3 daughters, Shelley Halverson (Dan) South Jordan, Utah, Carrie Christensen (Charles), Golden, Colorado, Kristi Peterson (Ashley), Aurora, Colorado; his 2 step-children Tassha Cullin (Hugh), Centennial, Colorado, Alex McBean (Charlotte), Bountiful, Utah; and his sister, Patti Mortenson (Ned), Logan, Utah; 16 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ferdie and Dona Peterson, and Step-daughter, Nicki Nejat.
He is remembered by his former spouse Alene Peterson.
Final arrangements are under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. An archived stream of the funeral can be found on the Southern Utah Mortuary website at https://mortuary.org