Richard "Rick", "Dick", "Ricky" Bendix Peterson, age 79, of Elkhorn, Nebraska formerly of Annandale, Minnesota died peacefully on Monday, July 13, 2026.

Memorial Services will be held 11:00 a.m. Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Annandale United Methodist Church, Annandale, MN with visitation one hour prior. A light lunch will follow at the church. Rev. Mark Schlasner will officiate. Burial will be at Crystal Lake Cemetery, Minneapolis, in the Teigen-Peterson family plot. After his burial, friends and family are invited to Jax Cafe, Minneapolis, a special place of remembrance of family gatherings through the years where excellent food will be enjoyed. Memorials to Opera Omaha and Union Pacific Railroad Historical Society.

Richard Bendix Peterson was born December 28, 1946, in Minneapolis to Donald P. and Neva (Bendix) Peterson. He grew up in Annandale, Minnesota graduating from Annandale High School in 1964. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1968 and a Master of Science from the McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois in 1970.

Richard's life was devoted to his family and its history, his love of trains, the Union Pacific railway system and opera. He was a loving son. With his dad, brother and cousin, he took in a Finnish sauna now and then. In later years, he vacationed with his mom along the north shore of Lake Superior collecting agates. Knowing agates are rocks that form over millions of years inside the cavities of ancient volcanic rock, he valued the history and the beauty.

From an early age, Richard immersed his life in trains. He knew so much about them that he would amaze everyone with his depth of knowledge. Growing up, his folks planned road trip vacations to coincide with the locations of railroads throughout the USA.

After graduate school, Richard worked for Milwaukee Road Railroad and then joined Union Pacific Railroad for over 30 years.

He devoted his professional life to the Union Pacific (UP) as an expert executive. John Rebensdorf, UP colleague, highlighted his fantastic accomplishments:

"Dick had many accomplishments during his thirty plus years with UP, but three of them stand out. First was his involvement in new product and service development, when he headed up the interline service and marketing function for the railroad. He developed many innovative services in conjunction with connecting railroads. One that stands out was what came to be called, "Fresh from the West". This was an accelerated perishable service running between central California and the New York City market. This service innovation resulted in a significant increase in perishable loadings for the UP out of the central California area bound for the New York City market."

"Perhaps the area where Dick had the biggest and most lasting influence was on the UP Merger Team. Dick was one of the six core team members on this team for over 25 years. Dick was responsible for all competitive and traffic gain and loss analysis. He was also a key player in developing and carrying out the regulatory strategy for the various mergers. Dick's extensive knowledge of the railroad network many times made him more knowledgeable about opposing railroads' operations than their own witnesses or legal counsel. UP completed five major mergers over the 25-year period that Dick was part of this team, and I don't believe it is a stretch to say that some of those mergers may not have been approved were it not for Dick's knowledge and role in developing competitive strategy."

"The third area where Dick had a major influence was on UP's regional and short line program. Dick was instrumental in initiating a program which ultimately led to the sale, lease or abandonment of over 13,000 miles of light density railroad lines. Through Dick's efforts, the UP network was reshaped and scarce resources were focused on those lines where the railroad could achieve the best return."

Richard was a keen historian especially in his chosen career field. He was both a member and a board member of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. He was a member of many historical railroad societies including: Union Pacific Railroad, Lexington, Pennsylvania, Soo Line, New York Central, The Milwaukee Road, Chicago North Western, Missabe, Northern Pacific, Great Northern Railroad, Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society and Santé Fe. This allowed him to live and breathe his passion continuously.

He supported his love of opera as a benefactor to Opera Omaha and enjoyed introducing friends to a "night at the opera". His history interest extended to family. He worked closely with his mother, Neva Peterson, on two family histories for the Streech and Bendix lineage. These are priceless gifts for his family for generations to come.

He is survived by three nieces, Andrea Peterson, Jennifer Peterson and Kristin Kuster (Bill Lucas); great-nephew, Odin Kuster (son of Andrew Kuster); cousins, Nancy Bendix Smith, Jean Robinson, Tom Hardy, Deanna Bendix, and Jeanne Kooi; administrative assistant, Leah Mullen; caregiver, Robin Readon; and many relatives, railroad colleagues and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Neva (Bendix) Peterson; brother, James Peterson; sisters-in-laws, Margaret Peterson and Patricia Peterson; and cousins, James Bendix, John Bendix, Mary (Bendix) Absolon, and Helen Webb.

Music for Richard's service honors his love of family, his favorite opera, and his Annandale roots. Included will be the choral piece "Home," composed by Kristin Kuster, written after the passing of her father, Jim Peterson, who was Richard's brother; the opera Aria "Quando M'en Vo," from Puccini's La Bohème, sung by Renée Fleming; "You'll Never Walk Alone", and the "Union Pacific: The Great Big Rollin' Railroad."

John Bendix, Doug Bakker, Bob Phalen, Richard Wagner, Rob Leachman, Jim Ponsford, and Terry Mullen will serve as casket bearers.

Annandale residents, Sharon Planer and Jon Mackareth, will provide music for the service. Arrangements are entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Annandale.