Steven ‘Dutch’ Petersen

Steven "Dutch" Petersen, 54, lost his battle with melanoma cancer at 8 p.m. on March 14, 2016, surrounded by his wife Tammy, daughter Stephanie and her fiancée Hailey and his niece Jennifer Hirsch.

Dutch entered the world in Billings on March 20, 1961, the fourth of eight children born to Allen and Marcia Petersen.

Once he graduated from Central High School, Dutch worked for several masonry contractors after the other family members moved to Oregon in 1987. He traveled throughout the state working on banks and other large projects, often working as the masonry foreman. Dutch, a skilled craftsman, was their hardworking leader with a wry and often dry sense of humor. When the Dutchman got on a roll, good-natured side-splitting humor was not far behind.

In the mid '90s, Dutch went west with his family to Oregon to work with the family masonry business for four years. Dutch then moved to Billings and continued working masonry until his passing.

Dutch and Tammy formed their matrimonial bond on Feb. 23, 2006. Each brought a child from a previous marriage: Dutch and Stephanie, Tammy and Landon. Stephanie, a high school basketball player with tenacious defense, had a lot of road games and Dutch spent a lot of his time traveling to cheer her team on. Dutch always took time for his stepson Landon, taking him to and from his activities. Once the kids flew the coop, Dutch and Tammy enjoyed a simple, but admirable life of cooking, canning, gardening and just hanging out and enjoying their home.

Dutch is preceded in death by his father, Allen Petersen, in 2013.

He is survived by his wife, Tammy; daughter Stephanie (fiancée Hailey); stepson Landon; mother Marcia Byers; stepfather Don Byers; siblings Vicki, Jeff (wife Kristi), Staci, Scott, Jenni, Kari and Jodi (husband Sean Kirkpatrick); numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

The funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19, at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 717 18th St. W., in Billings. Interment of the cremains will be in Holy Cross Cemetery at 1601 Mullowney Lane, Billings. There will be a reception following services at St. Pius.