Lois Peterson

Lois Geraldine Peterson, 88, passed away surrounded by her family after a brief illness that occurred in the context of a period of declining health. 

She was born, March 9, 1936, in Winterset, Iowa to Asa and Bertha Hoyt who named their children alphabetically beginning with “C.”  As the 10th child, she was assigned the letter “L.”  With her death, the “ABC” family finally passes into history. 

She met Wesley Peterson in Lincoln, Nebraska and they married in 1953.  Four children were born from this union all of whom survive her including Kristine Key (David) of Huntsville, Missouri; Linnaea Swayze (Ralph) of Moberly Missouri; Eric Peterson (Dale Thuesen) of Washington, DC; and Ingrid Amonette (Brian) of Rockford, Michigan.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and 10 siblings.  

Along with her husband she led an eventful life serving the Seventh-day Adventist Church in posts throughout the United States, Kenya, Lebanon, and Cyprus. She had strong administrative skills that were recognized in the numerous denominational positions she held throughout her career which included Kamagambo Teacher’s College in Kisii, Kenya; the Afro-Mideast Division of Seventh-day Adventists in Beirut Lebanon; Porter Memorial Hospital in Denver, Colorado; the Minesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Maxwell Preparatory School in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Iowa-Missouri Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Des Moines, Iowa. 

She loved music, scrapbooking, dogs, and doting on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In addition to her children, she is survived by 8 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, sisters-in-law Valeta Peterson, Karen Wade, many nieces and nephews and countless young people she took under her wing.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be directed to Mobility Worldwide MO www.giftofmobility.org in honor of Lois Peterson.

A Memorial Service honoring Mrs. Peterson’s life was held at the Sunnydale Seventh-day Adventist Church, Centralia, MO.  Private committal prayer and inurnment took place at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, Mo.