A Single Dad and a War Hero

Roy Bertram Petersen was the son of Hans Iver Petersen & Georgia Anna Peck. Roy married Audrey Mae Willis and by 1930, they were divorced and he was a single dad.

courtesy of J - Find A Grave

Unknown Paper, 24 Jan 1975
R B Petersen
Services will be at 2 pm Saturday at Hall-Van Hook Funeral Chapel for Chico native Roy Bertram Petersen, 82, of 8 El Cortez Circle. He died Wednesday at a local hospital. Born April 27, 1892, at 244 Walnut St to Hans and Georgy Anna Petersen, he resided all his life in Chico. His father had been employed by Gen John Bidwell. Petersen was first employed by the Old Chico Nursery and later the Lindo Nursery which is now Christian and Johnson Co until his retirement in 1956. His wife, the former Audrey Willis, died in 1949. He was a charter member of the Horticultural Society. Survivors included a son, Vernon of Sacramento; a daughter, Dorothy Boots of Chico; a brother, Iver of Gridley; 7 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Rev Robert Satterfield will officiate at the services with interment to follow at Chico Cemetery. Casket bearers include his grandsons, Edgar Boots, John Boots, Roy Boots, Thomas Boots, Dean Hales and Michael Petersen. Friends may call until 9 pm today at the funeral chapel. 

courtesy of J - Find A Grave

His daughter Dorothy Catherine Petersen married Harold Edgar Boots and they had 6 children - Roy, Edgar, Thomas, John, Mary & James. 

Unknown Paper, 17 Sep 1976

H E Boots

Services will be held at 11 am Saturday at the Hall-Van Hook Funeral Chapel for Harold Edgar Boots, 65, of 234 Cedar St who died Thursday at a local hospital. He was born May 3, 1911, in Leadville, Colo, to Marion and Mary Boots. When he was 2 years old, the family moved to Nevada City where he lived until he was 16, when the family moved to Orland.He married the former Dorothy Peterson in Chico on March 4, 1936.Boots drove a truck for the Gearing Truck Lines in Orland and later worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad Co on a section gang. In 1942, he moved to Chico where he worked 22 years for Diamond Match Co. He was a member of the Gold Star Parents. Boots' survivors include his widow, Dorothy of Chico; a daughter, Mary Hales of Stockton; four sons, Roy of Westwood, Edgar of Red bluff, and Tom and John, both of Chico; a sister, Cora Foley of Orland; 19 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. A son, James was killed in 1968 Vietnam war action. Rev Wendell Pew of First Christian Church will officiate at the service. Norman Sandberg will be the organist and accompany Merrill Womack as he offers special musical selections of "God Be with You Til We Meet Again." Casket bearers will include Roy Boots, Edgar Boots, Tom Boots, John Boots, Dean Heals, Bonn Boots. Burial will be in the Chico Cemetery. Friends may visit after 5 o'clock this evening at the Hall-Van Hook Funeral Chapel.

courtesy of The Wall of Faces

According to the information found on James Allen Boots, he died when he courageously attempted to attack an enemy bunker - he had only been on tour 6 months, and was two months shy of his 21st birthday. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. 

Unknown Paper, Sat, 23 Nov 1968
Services Slated Here on Monday for James Boots
Military services will be held at 2 pm Monday for Pfc James Allen Boots, 20, who died in Vietnam, Nov 13, 1968. Born in Chico, Feb 9, 1948, he attended local schools and went into the Army in November 1967. He was sent to Vietnam last May. Survivors include his parents, Mr and Mrs Harold E Boots, and his maternal grandfather, Roy Peterson, all of chico; one sister, Mrs Mary Hales of Santa Clara; and four brothers, Roy of Corning, Edgar of Redding, Thomas of Orland and John of Portland, Ore. An honorary escort at the services will be furnished by the veterans' organizations of Chico. Joyce Bae will be the organist and will accompany soloist Charles Taggart. Interment will be in Chico Cemetery.