Dorothy M. Peterson Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

A Funeral Service for Dorothy will be held on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at the Evangelical Free Church in Geneva, Nebraska with Pastor Jeff Jensen presiding. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the funeral service at the Evangelical Free Church in Geneva, Nebraska. Graveside Services will be held following the funeral service in the Geneva Public Cemetery in Geneva, Nebraska. Memorials are to be directed to the family to be designated at a later date. Dorothy Madine McAvoy Peterson, daughter of Olive Jackson (McAvoy) White and William Seward McAvoy was born June 14, 1929 on a farm northwest of Fairmont, Nebraska. She went home to be with the Lord April 12, 2022. When she was four years old she moved with her parents from Fairmont to Exeter, Nebraska where her father helped build U.S. Highway 6. When that job was completed, they moved back to Fairmont where she attended school for all of her education. She graduated from Fairmont High School in 1947. She was married to Raymond W. Peterson at Seneca, Kansas in December 1946. They were married 48 years until his death in 1994. Two children were born to them, Linda Dianne and John Charles. They also adopted Richard Alvin when he was three years old. Their nephew William Edmund Nelson came to live with them when he was seven years old. The family lived on the Peterson family farm west of Geneva where they all grew up. As a family they enjoyed many a weekend going to the lake for camping, boating and fishing. In the early years Dorothy worked with her husband in the fields, helping with harvest and milking cows when they had a small dairy, as well as keeping the books for the farm. After the youngest, John, started school she worked part time as a bookkeeper for OK Tire and also for an oil company. In 1969 she went to work as a Nursing Assistant at Fillmore County Hospital. She continued there until 1985 when she and Ray left Geneva, and for five years were traveling Motel Operators/Managers. During that time they traveled in most all of the Eastern States of the U.S. She enjoyed having the opportunity to meet many people of different races and cultures, and being able to see a lot of the country. In 1990 they returned to Geneva and she again worked at the hospital until 1993. In 1990 their granddaughter, Andrea, came to live with them. She continued to live with Grandma until she graduated from Fillmore Central in 2003. After Ray’s death in 1994 Dorothy worked part time at the Goldenrod Motel, filling in when the managers were out of town. In1995 she was appointed Secretary at the Evangelical Free Church in Geneva where she served for 10 years. Dorothy’s faith and belief in Jesus Christ were very important to her. She grew up with a strong Christian influence from her Great Aunts and her Mother, but she did not accept Christ as her personal Lord and Savior until a niece presented (as she said) “The Way” to her in the late 1970s. She was publicly water baptized to declare her belief and renewed commitment to the Lord. She joined the Evangelical Free Church in October 1976 and subsequently served as a Deaconess and Church Secretary; she remained a member until her death. In 2004 Dorothy sold her home and moved to an apartment. In 2005 she joined the Foster Grandparent Program, serving first at Head Start and then in the Elementary School, and at Rainbow Child Care. Dorothy loved being around little children and especially the babies; she was always eager to serve in the nursery at church when needed. She was “Grandma Dorothy” to a great many children and she loved them all dearly. Both Dorothy and Ray had big open hearts and hands for any kid that needed a place to live or a family to take them in. Over the years they had several different ones that came for a few days, for a few months, for a few years, or even longer. Their home was never closed to those who needed a place to stay. They taught their children that a family is more than being born with the same surname or same natural mother or father. They truly lived out showing God’s love to all His children. Dorothy enjoyed many things throughout her life. She loved bowling and enjoyed traveling to different tournaments with her friends, and they brought home several trophies. She was a rabid genealogist, tracing not only her own ancestry, but that of her husband’s family, her in-laws’ family, their in-laws, her children’s in-laws and just about anybody who asked for help. Dorothy was a very good cook, both adventurous and down home in her menus. She taught her daughter to plan meals a week ahead and to bake and cook. She was never afraid to try new recipes, especially recipes from other ethnics and cultures. Her mother-in-law taught her how to make a flaky pie crust and her mother taught her how to remember her English heritage by making oyster stew every year for Christmas Eve. Dorothy was an excellent seamstress, making and mending for different people around town. She also made many beautiful quilts for her family. On one king-sized quilt she made, she embroidered different butterflies on all the different blocks. She found a book in the library showing the different colorings and shapes of various butterflies and free hand transposed them to the embroidery. Collecting antiques was another passion for both Ray and Dorothy. When they were traveling around the country, they never came home without some new dish or glassware or perhaps even a whole set of dishes, plus many other treasures. It was something they did together and thoroughly enjoyed. Another passion of hers was watching sporting events on television, especially her beloved University of Nebraska Huskers: football, men and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, wrestling, track and field, bowling; you name it she was interested. She was also a big Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals fan. You never could hold her attention on a phone call when she was busy cheering her teams on. Actually, if any game, of any kind, played by any team, was a good game; she would watch it. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond W. Peterson; parents, father William McAvoy and mother Olive White; one half-sister Anita McAvoy; two half-brothers, Maurice McAvoy and Paul McAvoy and their spouses; brother-in-law Carl Robinson; two grandsons, Daniel Thomas Wilkins and Jeffry Allen Peterson. She is survived by one sister, Marlene Robinson of Lincoln, Nebraska; four children, Linda (Dennis) Wilkins of Bella Vista, Arkansas; Richard of Lincoln, Nebraska; William (Sue) Nelson of Geneva, and John of Lincoln, Nebraska; Grandchildren Michael and Steven Wilkins, Andrea and Dustin Peterson, Dathan and Dena Nelson, and Zachary Peterson (Danielle); several great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. Let it be said of her that she was greatly loved by everyone and she will be greatly missed by everyone. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” —from a headstone in Ireland

Tributes

Dorothy M. Peterson

June 14, 1929 - April 12, 2022