John Earl Pehrson, 61, died March 4, 2008, of cancer at a Havre hospital.
A memorial gathering is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Wallner Hall in Chinook. A private family committal is scheduled for earlier that day. Cremation has taken place. Services are under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home in Chinook. Memorials in John’s honor may be made to the Lloyd Sweet Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 638, Chinook, MT 59523 John was born Sept. 14, 1946, to Franklin D. and Jane (Stewart) Pehrson in Stockton, Calif. The family moved to Chinook when he was about 1. He grew up in and around the Chinook area where he attended school. He graduate form Chinook High School in 1964. He also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He valued education very highly and continued his education at the University of Montana in Missoula, completing both a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, and a Master of Science degree in 1979 in education, counseling and administration. He worked in the Montana school system his entire adult life and retired in 2006. In 1978 he met and married Candace Molzhon. To this union one child was born, Liza. The couple later divorced. John was a very talented person and loved to sing. He was a member of the Hi-liners. He liked to play his guitar, his friends called him “Elvis”. He also taught speech and drama and worked with the pep band. At school, he was admired by his students as a confidant and mentor, helping young ones through the difficult transition years from childhood to adult this time in life can be trying at best and overwhelming at times. His steady and consistent counsel and guidance was a great help to many of the students. Early in life he worked for his father at Pehrson’s Exxon in Chinook. He was known for his great sense of humor. He was a member of AA and greatly enjoyed the time with his AA family. He also enjoyed reading, going to movies, and riding his motorcycle through the mountains and plains of the Big Sky State. John is survived by his parents, Frank and Jane Pehrson of Chinook; sister, Ellie Rennick of Havre; brother Frank Pehrson Jr. Of Chinook; the pride of his life, daughter, Liza Pehrson of Lawrence, Kan.; many cousins, and his special friend Vicki Gale Hardin. He is also survived by his two cats, Pinky and Tuffy.
