Anita Diane Peterson

Anita Diane Peterson

of Fort Myers, Florida passed peacefully on to her heavenly home while surrounded by her family on March 2,2024 after a long battle with Parkinson’s and Dementia.

Anita was born May 8, 1943 to the late Melvin and Celia (Sikorski) Matson. She spent many of her childhood years in the upper peninsula of Michigan where she loved to climb trees and do gymnastics. She was a free spirited country girl at heart.

She moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota with her mother when she was a teen and graduated from West High School in 1961. Her first job was at age 16 working as a nurses aid at Walker Methodist and 1 year later, Abbott Northwestern Hospital. In high school she learned to play the piano, sang in the choir and took “Baton”! She participated in her church youth group called the Hi C Club where she met and fell in love with Ron Peterson. After high school they eloped to Wakefield, Michigan where they were married December 1, 1961 followed by a honeymoon in Silver Bay, MN at Fenstadt’s Resort on Lake Superior.

The next twenty years of Anita’s life were devoted to being a loving wife and mother to her three children. She loved all things related to homemaking and the domestic arts. These especially included: gardening, canning and freezing summer produce from her vegetable garden, cooking/ baking, entertaining especially holidays, sewing, crafting, embroidery and crochet. During these years she also had a cleaning business where she quickly gained a reputation for her meticulous care and detail.

After the children were grown and left the nest, Anita worked as a Program Aid for her local elementary schools both at Colombia Elementary and Centennial Elementary in Lino Lakes, MN. She loved working with and heading up the crafts with the children. She was overjoyed as the years passed, when the children as they grew older, would regularly come back to visit her.

Anita enjoyed hobbies aside from domestic arts. These included: downhill skiing especially in the mountains, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, all things lake life, reading non fiction and music. She was always involved in her church through singing in choir and regular Bible studies and social participation.
God was a central part of her life from which she depended upon for all of life’s challenges as well as for joy. She held steadfast to her belief in knowing that this earth was not her home and she was just travelling through.

Anita was preceded in death by her brothers Arlen and Kent Matson. She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years Ronald C. Peterson of Fort Myers, FL, three children: David Peterson of Hood River, Oregon, Suzanne Wright (Michael) of Excelsior, MN , Melanie Saenz of Chicago, Illinois, one sister Merridee Benham(John) of Blaine, Mn and four adored grandchildren: Wave, Isabella, Christina and Anton.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM, Monday, March 18, 2024 at Berean Baptist Church of Brooklyn Park, 8825 West Broadway Avenue, Brooklyn Park, MN. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 10:00 AM until the service time at the church. Anita will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at 1:30 PM following the funeral.