CHEYENNE – Wallace “Wally” L. Petrie was born in Hastings, Nebraska in 1943 to Arthur and Leona Petrie. He grew up in Holstein, Nebraska with his sister, Bonnie, and his two brothers, Richard and Donald. He died July 25, 2021, in Cheyenne.
Friends and family will meet for a memorial celebration Saturday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. at the Stagecoach Museum in Lusk.
Wallace was a loving father and grandfather who made many friends throughout his life.
He graduated from Holstein High School in 1961 and continued his education at Northwest Community College and the University of Nebraska where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education in 1965. Continuing his education while teaching, he competed his master’s degree in education at Chadron State College in 1973.
His teaching career began in Filley, Nebraska in 1965, and continued in Cody and Lusk through 1986. He taught a variety of junior high and high school subjects, took great pleasure in coaching several sports and served as a Closeup sponsor, accompanying students to Washington D.C. He was subsequently employed as a corrections officer and sergeant at the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk.
Wallace was a passionate lifelong student of American government and history and was particularly fascinated with the events surrounding the founding of the United States and the early history of Wyoming, especially the Lusk area. These interests fueled several notable creative projects and his involvement with the Stagecoach Museum as a board member and board president. He loved to share his knowledge of Niobrara County history with family, friends and passers-by.
He was an animal lover, an avid outdoorsman and traveler, and was particularly fond of spending time touring Alaska and adventuring with his brother Don.
Preceded in death by his brother Donald and sister Bonnie, and survived by his brother Richard of Kansas City and his sons Chris and Jason, of Cheyenne and Green River, respectively and two granddaughters Samantha and Jessica.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Stagecoach Museum / Niobrara County Historical Society, P.O. Box 367, Lusk, WY 82225.
