Ellis passed away peacefully at his home with his family around him on Saturday February 24th, 2024. Ellis “Joe Pete” Peterson was born July 7th, 1937 in McGill Nevada, to Clair “Hammer” and Nora Peterson. He was the last of his 8 siblings to be born and was “the baby”. He always joked that his ears got to be so big because when you have 5 older sisters bossing you around and “mothering’ you they got pulled on a lot. He was a true McGill Boy through and through and lived in McGill most of his life only leaving McGill after he retired in 2002 and moved to the big city of Ely. Joe Pete took pride in being from McGill and reminisced about all the things that he did while growing up there and how “booming” it used to be in its Hay Day. One of his memories that he talked about a lot was driving the school bus from McGill to Ely everyday while he was only 16 years old. He would also drive the High School sports teams all over the Great State of Nevada for ball games while only being 16 years old.
While in High School he fell in love with the love of his life JoAnn. He couldn’t wait to marry her but had made a promise to JoAnn’s mom that he would wait to marry JoAnn until after she graduated High School. He kept that promise and they were married on Oct. 19, 1958 in Ely. The following year their son Mike was born and the next year their daughter Debbie was born and completed their family.
Joe Pete was very involved in the community. He served in the National Guard. Joe Pete coached many Little League teams, Babe Ruth and coached various All-Star teams. He also coached several Women’s Slow pitch softball teams here in White Pine County. Another one of Joe Pete’s passions was being a referee and umpire. He traveled all over the state and officiated hundreds of games over the years. Joe Pete was also a member of the 4-Wheel Drive Club and enjoyed going out on their excursions. He was also a past President of the McGill Volunteer Fire Dept. One of his legacies that he will leave behind is his Horse Shoe throwing skills. Joe Pete could be found at most Horse Shoe tournaments and usually would be walking away with a trophy. A lot of his Horse Shoe time was spent out at “the Caboose” up Berry Creek with a lot of friends and family. He also qualified and was able to participate in the World Senior Games held in St. George, UT in 2013 to throw in the Horse Shoe tournament. He competed and ended up winning his class and won the title as World Champion.
Joe Pete is preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings. He is survived by his wife JoAnn of 65 years, son Mike (Melanie), daughter Debbie (Tom), his 6 grandchildren, Aubrey (Sam), Garrett, Tara (Jen), Grady (Jake), April (Andy) and Amber (Adam) and 2 step grandchildren Ben and Megan. He is also survived by his 10 great grandchildren who he loved with all his heart. He couldn’t wait to hear what adventure or event his grandkids were involved in. Joe Pete could be found in the stands or at the ball field cheering on his grandkids. He was their biggest supporter and cheerleader! Joe Pete left a lasting impression on all of his family members on how to be patient and kind. He was the best listener and would always lend a hand and could fix ANYTHING. He will be deeply missed. Per Joe Pete, no services will be held, but a BBQ will be held with horse shoes being thrown in his honor this summer.
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