Vilah Jean Peterson

Vilah Jean (Jeanie) Peterson, passed away on July 23, following a brief illness. Born on May 5, 1929, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Olvin and Gena Nelson, Jeanie attended the University of Minnesota. Earning a bachelor’s degree, she went on to work on a master’s degree, prior to teaching high school.

During the first week of college classes, Jeanie met her future husband, Charles Dean Peterson. Their wonderful friendship lasted seventy-one years, sixty-four years of which were spent happily together in marriage. Jeanie is survived by three daughters and six grandsons: Kristiannia, Kjorina (William and Charles), and Kaara (Christian, Daniel, William, and Jonathan). She was predeceased by her daughter, Kaia, and sister, Oma Nelson. Jeanie’s sweet and gentle nature was evidenced daily in her consummate love and care of her husband and family.

Jeanie was passionate about her Scandinavian ancestral heritage, teaching baking and cooking classes in the community for a number of years. An avid gardener, Jeanie was also a conservationist and a longtime member of the Garden Club of Cottonwood, where she served two terms as president. Committed to Utah’s geographical beauty and history, Jeanie volunteered for some twenty years as a docent at the Natural History Museum of Utah. She was also active and served in numerous roles for over sixty years as a member of Mount Tabor Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City.

Due to the current pandemic, a private memorial service will be held at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to make donations to the Garden Club of Cottonwood, the Natural History Museum of Utah, or an organization of choice.