Galen D. Pederson

Galen Donley Pederson, 79, passed away peacefully at 9:15am on February 2, 2025, with his family by his side. Galen was born on June 12, 1945, to Evelyn and Earl Pederson in Roseglen, ND, one of six rambunctious boys. Evelyn and Earl had a run for their money with the many antics that happened on that farm with six boys running around. A favorite was the story of crafting homemade skis from scrap lumber and pulling each other through the snowy ditches behind the family car. Galen attended a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher for eight grades before going on to White Shield High School. He began college at North Dakota State University, later finishing his degree at Rutgers University. Galen and Nancy met while living in Fargo, ND. Galen and his roommate flipped a coin for who got to ask Nancy out. Galen was the lucky winner! They soon said goodbye to small town life, living in Denver, New York City, Edison, NJ, Lake Bluff, IL, Raleigh, NC, Manteo, NC, and finally Fort Collins, CO where they moved to be closer to Lindsay’s family. Galen was an endlessly positive, encouraging, generous, adventurous, no nonsense guy who loved his family fiercely. He had so many hobbies over the years, and when it was time to move on to something new, he was happy to jump in full throttle. His passions included road biking, golfing, skiing, deep sea fishing (or really any type of fishing!), boating, pulling his kids waterskiing, playing with his grandkids, and dabbling in the stock market. Galen worked at Montgomery Ward for twenty years, working his way up from stock person to wholesale buyer. He later worked as a buyer for Rose’s Department Store in Raleigh, NC before taking an early retirement. Galen spent ten years in early retirement, doing lots of golfing and fishing. He got his captain’s license and loved taking groups out on his charter fishing boat. Retirement also included a stint of babysitting duties in Richmond Hill, GA for Marissa while her husband was deployed for a year. Galen was happy as could be to come over and watch the grandkids, provided that somebody fed him at the end of the day. Galen came out of retirement to work at Kitty Hawk Kites in Manteo, NC as a buyer. He loved the perks of this work and made sure his children and grandchildren tried hang gliding, surfing, and any other escapades they could find. Galen loved adventure, particularly when it came to encouraging his kids. Lindsay and Marissa have endless memories of skiing the trees with dad, getting pulled over gigantic boat wakes while tubing, and spending hours in the fighting chair pulling in marlins, tunas, and mako sharks. Galen suffered a brain tumor 9 ½ years ago, pushing him back into retirement. When asked how he was feeling a few months after surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, he said, “I feel great!” This pretty much sums up Galen's attitude toward life. His positivity and outlook undoubtedly helped him live much longer than doctors predicted. His last few years of life were riddled with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy Body dementia. Our family is endlessly grateful for the care from Aspens Memory Care, Bristol Hospice, and Cornerstone Healthcare for their loving care and for always seeing the “real Galen” despite the disease. Galen is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy, his daughters Marissa (Bob) Mahowald and Lindsay (Justin) Williams; five grandchildren; and his brothers, Lane (Fran), Brent (Janet), Van, and Rod (Kim). Galen is preceded in death by his mom, dad, and one brother. A celebration of life will be held for family and friends in Minnesota in summer 2025. More information to come.