Laura Mae Peterson Thorne

Born in Three Forks, Montana on August 28, 1922, Laura was the daughter of Ernest and Mae (Clark) Peterson.

Laura graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, in the Class of 1943 and earned her Master’s Degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1959. Laura taught English at Austin Cate Academy for 15 years and at Concord High School for the next 30 years. For many years at Concord HS, she was the head of the National Honor Society and an inspiration to many of her students.

Laura was a member of the Strafford Garden Club and Eastern Star Society. She was selected to be Gallatin County Rodeo Queen in the early 1940s.

Despite her beauty she was humble and enjoyed engaging in community service in the public spaces around her town and through her church. She believed in leaving something better off than she found it. Laura was a lover of literature and nature. She could often be found walking her beloved dogs through the woods behind her house or giving her grandchildren copies of her favorite poems and books. Laura also loved the greater world beyond Montana and New Hampshire, traveling across the country and to Europe with her children.

Most importantly, Laura was the best mother in the world. Sigrid, her daughter, thinks of her in the same way that Abe Lincoln thought of his mother – here is Lincoln’s quote – “All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to my angel mother.” Laura was a person of tremendous strength of character and was always loving, thoughtful, serene and kind. She will forever be missed by all those that loved her.

Family members include two daughters, Sigrid Thorne of Dedham, MA and Jan Thorne of La Jolla Colony, CA; One son-in-law, Ladd; two grandchildren, Ladd, Jr. and Astrid; two great grandchildren, Sigrid and Ellis and a brother, John Peterson; and several nieces and nephews.

Laura was predeceased by her son, Clark E. Thorne, and her husband, Gerald E. Thorne and her brother, George J .Peterson of Great Falls, MT.

A memorial service will be held this October at the Bow Lake Church. Laura is buried at the Caverly Cemetery in Strafford, NH.