David Pederson

David M. Pederson, 68, Moorhead, MN, died Saturday, February 5, 2011, in his home.

David Matthew Pederson was born March 23, 1942, to Paul and Fern (Reirsgard) Pederson in Moorhead, MN, where he grew up and attended public schools, graduating in the Class of 1960. He packed a lot of living into his 68 short years. David's primary life passions were family, the Fire Department, music and the Marines.
In 1954, David and his life-long friend Robert Becker, formed a band they called Bobby Becker and the Poor Boys. Soon two more friends were added, John Leppert and Jeff Clark, and the group became Terry Lee and The Poor Boys. The band had a local and regional following in the late ‘50s. They were one of the local bands to fill in for the late Buddy Holly "the day after the music died." In September 2010, The Poor Boys were inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame.

David enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving four years, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal. The first in his family to serve in the military, he was followed by both of his sons, who were also Marines. Over the years he kept in contact with his Marine buddies, "Once a Marine, always a Marine," a band of brothers for life, Semper Fi!

In 1965 David joined the Moorhead Fire Department, serving for 28 years, retiring in 1993 as Lieutenant. David and his fellow firefighters saved countless lives every year. The family is so grateful to those fellow firefighters for saving David more than once in the line of duty. After retirement he was a regular drop-in for coffee with his former co-workers, becoming a friend to many new to the department. The fire department camaraderie equaled his Marine Corps experience. Fire, police, sheriff's department working closely together expanded on his band of brothers.
On October 25, 1965, David married LaDonna Lemke at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead. Their three children were the center of his world. David, an avid Red Sox fan, began teaching baseball to his children at an early age. Later, using his vacation time, he coached Babe Ruth Baseball. Animal lovers, David and LaDonna always had dogs in their lives, the dachshund being their love. They joined Animal Rescue as fosters to the most needy or abused of that breed.

Over a 25-year period from the 50s to the late 70s, and on his days off from the Fire Department, David worked at FM Ambulance. His deep commitment to serve and his calling to do so when the need was the greatest, moved him to often make follow-up hospital calls with patients, checking on their conditions after his day was done. David always put family, friends, and his community first. He was a quiet, humble man who just couldn't do enough for others.

David is survived by his wife of 45 years, LaDonna, Moorhead; sons, Chris, Geneseo, IL, Mark (Davina), Okinawa, Japan; daughter, Lisa (Kenneth) Gilhuijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; four grandchildren, Caroline, Catherine, & Stefan Pederson, and Aidan Gil