November 4, 1934 – November 6, 2022
Peter Aberle, 88, of Lakewood, CO passed away on November 6, 2022. Peter is survived by two siblings: Charlotte Bleyenberg and Charles Aberle (of Trail City); four children: Teresa Aberle, Michael Aberle, Lisa Aberle, and Susan Aberle; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
When Peter was 25, he married Mary (Bonnie) Frances Cordell from Watertown; they were together for 53 years, until she passed away in 2012. Peter always said, “his wife was the best.”
He was born to Pius C. Aberle and Anne Elizabeth Keller in a farmhouse near Timber Lake on November 4, 1934. He was the first of six children (preceded in death by Jerome Aberle, Bernadine Tillman, and Arlene Kelly). Dr. Baer assisted in the delivery, for which he was paid $10. After a year and a half, his family moved to a farmhouse near Trail City. He attended the Fischer School for one year and then transferred to the Hoffert School at the age of seven. He attended high school at Assumption Abbey in Richardton, ND and graduated in 1952. He attended Northern State Teacher’s College in Aberdeen, then taught at the Keller School at Glencross for two years.
In 1954, Peter joined the U.S. Army, where he was asked to serve in Austria and Italy because of his fluency in German. Upon his return, he entered the South Dakota School of Mines where he graduated in 1961 with a degree in Geological Engineering. He immediately went to work for the Bureau of Reclamation at Glen Canyon Dam. He made a career in constructing dams all over the world, including Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and the US. He left the Bureau in 1994 and became a consultant, retiring 25 years later at the age of 82. He was honored with the Silver Medal for solving a complex engineering problem.
Peter loved going fishing, especially in Alaska. He attended Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1953 and served as their treasurer for over 40 years.