Harold “Hal” Peterson of Las Vegas, NV passed away on Friday, January 23, 2026 at the age of 71. He was born in Roanoke, VA on September 10, 1954 and spent his childhood living in small towns on different national forests, since his father worked for the U.S. Forest Service. He graduated from Groveton High School in Texas in 1972, then began studying civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Cal, he and his brother John rowed on the crew team together and earned various accolades, including being voted “Most Inspirational Oarsmen.”

Hal loved being outdoors and didn’t want to be stuck in an office all day, so after graduating in 1977, he followed in his father’s footsteps and took a position with the U.S. Forest Service. Throughout his career he worked in a variety of National Forests, including: Angeles National Forest (Pasadena, CA); Routt National Forest (Kremmling, CO); Shadow Mountain Recreation Area (Grand Lake, CO); Arapaho National Recreation Area (Fort Collins, CO); and Los Padres National Forest (Santa Barbara, CA). The majority of his career was spent working in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (Sparks, NV and Las Vegas, NV), where he helped design the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway near Las Vegas; he was also fond of pointing out the “million-dollar toilet” his team installed at Mount Rose near Lake Tahoe.

Hal lived a humble life and enjoyed simple pleasures. In his retirement, he could often be found working through expert-level Sudoku books with a cat on his lap, going on hikes with family and friends, cooking his legendary BBQ ribs, lifting weights at the gym, doing jigsaw puzzles and reading books with his grandchildren, or enjoying a slice of rhubarb pie that he baked using his mother’s recipe. His kindness, humor, and quiet charm brightened the lives of all who knew him. He will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his three daughters: Alanna Boynton of Washington, Kristel Fahr of California, and Holly Peterson of Nevada; his brother, John Peterson of California; his sisters, Melanie Peterson of California and Karen Wilmink of The Netherlands; and his five grandchildren: Skylar Brown, Cora and Desmond Boynton, and Zeina and Sami Fahr. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Jett Peterson.

Private services will be held by the family in Nevada. Donations in his memory can be made to plant trees in National Forests at https://support.nationalforests.org/campaign/612528/donate?&c_src=WEB&c_src2=TRP0000WEBFooterLink