Phyllis Grace Peterson

Phyllis Grace Peterson, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, left earth’s bounds to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ October 18, 2025. She was born in Fulton, New York in 1937. She lived in a modest home with her father Harold Joseph McDonald, mother Grace McDonald, and brothers Michael and Gordon. Phyllis spent her childhood swimming in lakes looking for snakes to capture. She liked to be adventurous. Her father was an avid boxer and taught Phyllis the finer skills of the sport. Phyllis graduated Fulton High School 1955 and went on to get an associate’s degree from the Mohawk Valley College in 1958.

Phyllis left Fulton NY to become an airline attendant with Eastern Airlines based in Miami, FL. Life was so much different than Fulton NY. She traveled the Caribbean and enjoyed doing the Limbo.

During the early 1960s, Phyllis met her future husband, Lieutenant Vernon Lee Peterson, USAF. Together they started a family with the birth of their first son Mark Vernon Peterson in 1962. Phyllis gave birth to her second son, Jeffrey Scott, Peterson, in 1964. After a quick stay in Montgomery Alabama, Lieutenant Peterson was reassigned to NATO where Phyllis and her family got the opportunity to travel Europe. Europe was the experience of her lifetime. Her passion was to collect old French clocks and antiques.

After the NATO assignment, Phyllis and her family returned to the United States. At this time Captain Peterson was reassigned to the Vietnam War. Just before leaving for tour, Phyllis gave birth to her third son, Eric Michael Peterson. For a full year, Phyllis, through her strength and courage, raised 3 young children.

Captain Peterson returned safely from the Vietnam War and the family moved to the Washington DC area. Phyllis wanted more from life and was licensed as a Real Estate Agent. She quickly found success and was often recognized as the top producer in the office. Capitalizing on her success as a Real Estate Agent, she migrated to the banking mortgage industry where she once again became the top producer in the office.

Phyllis’s life was built on love and kindness. She never sought the spotlight and lived a life of simplicity. Her motherly love extended not only to her family, but to everybody she encountered. One of Phyllis’s blessings was her ability make people laugh and smile.

Today, as we remember Phyllis, we celebrate a life well-lived. A life marked by love, humility, and grace. Though our hearts are heavy, we take comfort in knowing her spirit lives on in each of us, in every act of kindness we extend, every moment of patience, every word of encouragement.

Phyllis Grace Peterson will be deeply missed, but her legacy of love will endure forever in the hearts of those who were blessed to have known her.

A funeral service will be held at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel with interment at Arlington National Cemetery.