Peterson, Robert George Robert George Peterson of St. Paul, died August 26, 2020, one week shy of his 90th birthday. He is survived by his niece Mary Guss, of Tucson, Arizona, nephew David Gusakov and his wife Anne Wallace, and their sons Nate Gusakov and Will Gusakov and their families, all of Bristol, Vermont. He is also survived by Lyncy Yang and Chang Kong of St. Paul and many friends he has known for decades. Although he'd been retired for almost as many years as he worked, Robert enjoyed his working life as the city traffic engineer for the City of St. Paul. A drive around town with him often included comments about how poorly the traffic signals were set or how silly the lane striping was. One of the projects he most cherished from his work was the construction of the beautiful brick streets around Rice Park. Robert was born in St. Paul on September 2, 1930 to George and (Inga) Emelia Peterson. During his early years the family lived on the west side, later moving to the house on Palace Avenue built by his father George. He graduated from Central High School, the University of Minnesota and attended a year of traffic school at Yale University. Robert served briefly in the military, stationed at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. An avid golfer, Robert also flew small planes for many years, and was a huge fan of classical music. He particularly loved the sound of a pipe organ. One of his most recent trips was to Philadelphia to listen to the historical Wanamaker Organ. With his clear tenor voice, Robert sang in the church choir and other musical productions. He seldom missed his morning "roll time" and sure did love his sweets - chocolate was not safe in the same room with him. Robert was extremely generous to his many friends, his family and the community. It was almost impossible to manage to pay for a meal when you dined out with him, though many of us tried. A small private service will be held soon and a Celebration of Life on September 2, 2021. In lieu of other memorials, Robert asked that contributions be made to the charity of your choice. Condolences: johnsonpeterson.com