Harold Everett PetersonHarold "Sonny" Everett Peterson, Sr. passed away on Thursday March 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. He was 82 years old. Sonny was born on June 26, 1934 in Urania, LA to Henry Everett Peterson and Parrie Huddleston Peterson. He received his B.S. degree in geology from Louisiana Tech, Ruston, LA and did his Masters work in geology at LSU, Baton Rouge, LA.He was ordained a Deacon at First Baptist Church, Jena, LA on July 30, 1967 and served as a Deacon in various Baptist Churches until moving to Austin in 2002 where he and his wife Lena joined Tarrytown United Methodist Church. He was also a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.His career in the oil and gas industry spanned 36 years. After a short stint selling drill bits for Grigsby Tool and Hughes Tool, In 1963, he began work in exploration for Justiss-Mears Oil Company, Jena, LA. Most importantly, that is where he met Lena Rae Breithaupt. His last 29 years in the oil industry were spent working in management positions with several of the H. L. Hunt Family entities. He began work as a Geologist for Placid Oil Company in Denver, CO in 1970, where he was promoted to District Geologist and later to District General Manager. In 1981, he became Managing Director of Placid International Oil Ltd., in The Hague, Netherlands as Manager of their European and Middle East Operations. In 1986 he returned to the U.S. as District Manager of Placid Oil Company's Shreveport, LA office. He completed his career as General Manager and Production Superintendent for Hunt Petroleum Corporation in Goodpine, LA. He retired in 1999 and moved to Austin in 2002 to be near his son and his family.He served in the U. S. Army July 1957-1959 at Fort Richardson Army Base, Anchorage, AK, and August 1961-1962 at Fort Lee Army Base, Petersburg, VA.Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Lena, son Harold "Hal" Peterson, and his wife Dinny, granddaughters Audrey Elizabeth Peterson and Danielle Starry of Austin, TX; sister-in-law Sallie Musslewhite and her husband Tom of Tyler, TX, sister-in-law Dorothy Breithaupt of Jena, LA along with a large number of loving nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.We have many rich memories with Sonny. He was not a man of pretense, but genuine, wise, kind, faithful, gentle, loving, and humorous. He was a wonderful husband, dad and granddad. He was a true disciple of God. He loved the Lord, family, fishing, hunting, and college football. He was preceded in death by his sisters and their husbands Narine and Dargan Brooks, Pat and Leonard Smith, Lena's brothers Jeff and Jim, brothers and wives Oscar and Helen, Robert and Edna, C. W. and Mary and Mae; Lena's sister and husband Neva B. and Nick Edwards; two nephews, two great nephews and two nieces.Following a private interment, a Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, March 21st at Tarrytown United Methodist Church, 2601 Exposition Blvd., Austin. A Reception will follow at 4:00 PM at Westwood Country Club, 3808 West 35th Street in Austin. In lieu of flowers, if you so desire, please make a donation in his memory to Tarrytown United Methodist Church, Endowment Fund, 2601 Exposition Blvd., Austin, TX 78703; First Baptist Church, P. O. Box 1379, Jena, LA 71342, Austin Community Endowment at Austin Community Foundation at www.austincf.org/donate or mailed to: Austin Community Foundation, 4315 Guadalupe St., Ste. 300, Austin, TX 78751 or to a .Obituary and memorial guestbook available online at www.wcfish.com - Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, Austin, TX - (512) 452-8811