Bambridge Peterson obituary

Bambridge E. Peterson passed away peacefully on April 16, 2024 at the Rainbow Hospice Center in Johnson Creek, Wis., surrounded by his loved ones. He was born on April 9, 1940, in St. Paul, Minn., the  second of three children born to Elmer and Dorothy Peterson. “Bamie”, as he was affectionately called as a child, was raised in Lake City, Minn. He attended St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where he sang in the choir and received Confirmation. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1958.
After high school he moved to the Twin Cities, attending classes at both Dunwoody Insitute and the University of Minnesota. He later transferred to Mankato State College and graduated with a bachelor’s in Political Science. After graduation, Bam enrolled in the Army and was part of the Army Security Agency. While in the Army he was stationed in Turkey for eighteen months, just south of Ankara. After being discharged he re-enrolled at Mankato State College and completed a Master’s Degree in Political Science, which included a six month internship in Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Counties. After graduation he began working in city and county government.  
His first position was working for Brooklyn Center, Minn. as the administrative assistant to the city manager. In 1972 he accepted a position as Executive Director of the Allegheny League of Municipalities in Pittsburgh, Penn. While living in Pittsburgh he met his future wife Patricia, who he married in June 1975 in Pittsburgh. In May 1976 he accepted a position as the first County Administrator of McLean County, Ill. Bambridge moved his family to the county seat, Bloomington, where three of their children were born. After 12 years in Bloomington his career path led him to a few different locations across the country. Following a brief stint in Minnesota, he became the first County Administrator of Hampshire County, Mass., and in the later took a position as the County Administrator of Manitowoc County, Wis.  His last position before retiring was as Village Administrator of Round Lake Beach, Ill. He was married a second time to Joyce. They lived in Barron, Wis. for several years before moving to Oconomowoc in 2020.
Bambridge was a very sweet and kind man with a wonderful sense of humor. He was a consummate consumer of the news, reading several newspapers a day. In the early evening he was often found watching the news on TV while simultaneously reading a newspaper or a magazine. He loved reading, was an avid fisherman and practiced photography as a hobby. Bam also loved traveling, spending time with his children and grandchildren, and watching movies. He was fond of listening to the radio, A Prairie Home Companion being a particular favorite, often listening while sipping on a gin and tonic or a glass of wine.
Bambridge was preceded in death by older sister Barbara Ann; his mother Dorothy; his father Elmer; his stepmother Lillian; his first wife Patricia; and his younger sister Nancy and his brother-in-law Charles.
Bambridge is survived by his wife Joyce; his children Amy, Anne (Tim), Eric and Megan; his grandchildren Jay, Melina, Jonah, Cecilia and Brooke; and his niece Barbara.
A memorial service is being planned for 11 a.m. on August 9, 2024 at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul.