Roberta Peterson

Rock Rapids, IA Roberta Peterson, age 86 of Lyons, KS, formerly of Rock Rapids, IA died Friday, August 8, 2008 at Lyons Good Samaritan Home in Lyons, KS. Funeral service will be 10:30 AM, Thursday, August 14th at United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids, IA, with Rev. Anita Bane officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids. Visitation will be Wednesday, August 13th from 2 " 8 PM, with family present from 6 " 8 PM at Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids. Roberta Peterson was born March 17, 1922 to Ernest and Lucy May (Huddleson) Ford in Zion, Iowa. She received her early education in Zion and later graduated as a registered nurse from nursing school in Iowa City, Iowa. She worked as a nurse in Des Moines until the time of her marriage. On February 5, 1949 Roberta was united in marriage to John Peterson and the couple made their home in Rock Rapids, Iowa. To this union two children were born, Greg and Susan. In Rock Rapids, Roberta was a member of the United Methodist Church and was involved with the Eastern Star and Girl Scouts. She was a very community minded person and enjoyed helping where she could. She was an avid gardener and enjoyed making a beautiful landscape of color year after year in the back yard of their house in Rock Rapids. Roberta loved nature, especially flowers, plants and trees, in particular evergreen trees. She also very much enjoyed watching the birds as they visited her yard and garden. Roberta and John lived in Rock Rapids until 1969 when John was transferred to the St. Louis, Missouri area with his job. In 1999 they moved to Creston, Iowa to be closer to family and later to Marquette, Kansas. In 2003, John passed away ending their marriage of fifty four years. This past Friday, August 8th, Roberta passed away at the age of 86. She will be remembered as a cheerful and bubbly person and her love for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren had very deep roots. She will be missed by many. Roberta is survived by one son, Greg Peterson and his wife Charlene of Quamado, New Mexico; and one daughter, Susan Anderson and her husband Michael of Geneseo, Kansas. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; brothers, Gerald (Jeanette) Ford of Creston, Iowa and Edward (Dorothy) Ford of Orange, California; sisters, Barbara Brownrigg of Creston, Iowa, and Phyllis (Daryl) Haan of Odessa, Texas; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband John Junior Peterson; brothers, Almond Ford, Ernest Ford Jr. and Robert Ford.