Obituary: Shirley Peterson

Shirley Peterson

Shirley D. Peterson, 91, passed away July 6, 2024, in Menahga, Minn.

Shirley was born to Eugene and Vincentia Dann on Aug. 26, 1933, in Minneapolis, Minn.

She graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1952. She attended the Minnesota School of Business and graduated as a medical technician.

During and after college, she worked for the Federal Reserve, followed by Pillsbury Research and Development.

She soon met the love of her life, Charles, and they wed on December 26, 1960, at the St. Louis Park Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minn.

In 1962, they ventured west to find a quiet town in North Dakota in need of a chiropractor. They made their home in Carrington where Shirley assisted Charles in his chiropractic practice.

Shirley also worked as a bank teller and had a knack for numbers and dates. She frequently documented daily events on her calendar and could always recall key dates, especially birthdays of friends and loved ones.

She was a proud member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Altar Society in Carrington and enjoyed being a homemaker, baking, and playing cards. She never missed a band or choir concert, wrestling or track meet, awards banquet, piano recital or 4H meeting.

Most of all she loved spending time with her three children and seven grandchildren.

Charles and Shirley moved to Park Rapids, Minn., in 2005 and enjoyed many years in the lakes country. They moved to Menahga in 2020 where she and Charles lived their final chapter together. In sickness and in health, they supported each other with committed love for 61 years, until Charles passed in 2022.

She is survived by her children, Carolyn (Jack) Bartuska, Forest River, N.D., Susan Peterson, Fargo, N.D., and Mike (Keri) Peterson, Maple Grove, Minn., along with seven grandchildren, Katie and Nate Bartuska, James, Joel and Jonathan Grommesh and Gavin and Connor Peterson.

Shirley is preceded in death by her parents, both brothers, Kenneth and Lawrence Dann, an infant daughter, Shirley Ann, and husband, Charles.

A private family celebration of life will be held to share the joyful memories of our mother and grandmother.