banner.gif (15051 bytes)

Obituaries from the week of May 31, 2000, Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880

Joanne Peterson, 76

Joanne Naomi Peterson was born April 3, 1924 to Alphonso and Emilie (Illian) DeVetter in Lyon County, Tracy, Minnesota. She grew up and attended school in Tracy, graduating from Tracy High School in 1942. She was a life-long member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, where she was baptized and confirmed.

On December 26, 1942, she and Clair Peterson were married in Crewe, Virginia. Joanne returned to her parents' home in Tracy. After Clair's discharge from the Army, they lived on the Peterson family farm near Garvin until 1967 when they moved to Tracy. In addition to being a homemaker, Joanne was employed as a sales clerk at Cain's Ben Franklin, and at Tracy A&W.

Church and community activities included the Garvin Birthday Club, Guild, Camp Fire Girls' leader, St. Mary's CCD teacher and Leukemia Charity Collections. She enjoyed visiting her children and grandchildren, Big Band music, watching the Twins and the Vikings, word and jigsaw puzzles, going out to eat, movies and the theater.

For health reasons, she has been living with and cared for by her daughter, Patricia, and Tom Stimpert for much of the time since 1997. She resided with them in Brooklyn Park, MN until the time of her death on May 23, 2000. She was 76 years old.

Joanne is survived by her four sons, Michael (Lynn) Peterson, Aurora, CO; David (Patricia) Peterson, Omaha, NE; Jeffery (Teresa) Peterson, Oronoco, MN; Gerald Peterson, Buffalo, MN; two daughters, Patricia Peterson (Tom Stimpert), Brooklyn Park, MN; and Laurel (Shad) Peckenpaugh, Germantown, WI; 14 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, one sister, Bunnie (James) Tate, Fort Atkinson, WI.

Preceding her in death were her parents, husband Clair in 1996, two children, Diane and Baby Larry, one brother Gerald, and two sisters, Arloine and Mildred.