Remembering Louis Peterson
- Douglas Miller
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 27
Lions Bay has lost a true pillar of the community
Louis Peterson and his family arrived in Lions Bay in the late 1960s. Louis built a home and, over the span of many years, assisted significantly in building our community from its humble early days.
The community has a history of depending greatly on volunteers to get things accomplished. Louis’ fingerprints can be found on virtually every aspect of our community.
Louis was there for the beginnings of the volunteer fire department. He helped start the first playschool and served as a director of the local Water District. Louis assisted with the creation of the beautiful entry to our Village, he established the Cubs and Scouts locally, formed the Seniors Social Circle and was a founder of our native plant garden.
When Lions Bay became a municipality in 1971, Louis was elected to the first Village Council. Louis had life-long commitment to education, both as a SFU chemistry professor and in our village where he co-founded the Lions Bay Community Scholarship Foundation.
Unfortunately, Louis’ wife Jill passed in 1978. Louis married Carole Conlin 14 years later. Carole has been by his side ever since and devoted herself to his care to the very end of his life.
John and Rose Dudley arrived in the Village not long after the Petersons and became close friends. They witnessed the importance that Louis placed on developing and maintaining community through his efforts to keep track of Lions Bay children after they had left the Village. He worked on a booklet called “A Tapestry – Where are the Children of Lions Bay Now?” It was a work in progress until the day Louis left the Village and went into care.
John and Rose also reflect on Louis’ sense of fun and his desire to commemorate occasions. As most know, John has spearheaded the development and maintenance of the trail network in and around Lions Bay. The Centennial Trail connects the central part of the Village with Brunswick Beach. On the opening day of the trail, those making the inaugural trek encountered Louis sitting at the table he had set up near the end of the route. There was Louis, gleefully handing out “passports” to people as they approached Brunswick Beach!
Fortunately, Louis’ important role in our community did not go unnoticed over the years. In 2005, the Village Council named Louis its “Citizen of Distinction” and, in 2019, the “Citizen of the Year”.
Louis’ son Garry recently posted an obituary about his father on the local Facebook page. It covers the events and achievements of Louis’ life in considerable detail. I have been told that there were a great number of comments posted in response, including many recollections of interactions with Louis over the years. Each referred to Louis with genuine affection and admiration.
It is an understatement to say that Louis Peterson played a significant role in the development Lions Bay into the beautiful and welcoming place we enjoy today.
Louis would not want us to forget the impact one person can have on a community. His journey with us was marked by perseverance, patience, a positive disposition toward his neighbours and an excess of good humour.
Louis Peterson: 1935-2025
A Celebration of Dr. Louis Keith Peterson’s life will be held
Sunday, August 10, 2025 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Gleneagles Community Centre – Seaview Room
6262 Marine Drive, West Vancouver BC
Louis was an exceptional human being. He will be remembered for his love of and commitment to the people of Lions Bay, especially our youth. In all his endeavors, he demonstrated honor, humility and integrity. He will be sorely missed.
Louis played such a big part in the life of our village and was one of our first supporters when we started building the Village trail system. I always looked forward to one of his phone calls saying “I’ve got some wood I think you might be able to use”.