Yvonne M. Peterson

August 16, 1934- December 12, 2025

Yvonne (91) beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother & cherished friend to all

sadly passed away on December 13, 2025 at Hope West Hospice in Grand Junction,

Colorado surrounded by her family.

Yvonne was born in a log cabin in Collbran, Colorado on August 16, 1934. She was the first

of six children to John H. Evers and Nelle I. Evers. Yvonne spent her first four years in

Collbran she moved several times during her childhood attending one room schools in

Little Creek, Lincoln Park, Plateau Valley and graduated 8 grade in Loma. She attended

Fruita Union High School and during her senior year also worked at Woolsworth

graduating in 1952.

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After High School Yvonne attended a 12-week course at Airline Personnel Training, a

division of Electronic Radio Television Institute where she learned to read the codes and

run the Teletypewriter. Upon returning home she worked as a telephone operator in

Fruita. During this time she meet and married her husband, Herbert Peterson on

December 28, 1953 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She then stopped working to begin her

family.

Yvonne and Herb started to build their forever home in Fruita. In July of 1954 they

welcomed their son Mike and soon moved into their home. In May of 1955 they welcomed

a daughter Terri. Having two so close together gave Yvonne plenty to do. However, the

family was not complete until August of 1958 when they had their last daughter Vicki Jo,

at which time Yvonne became a stay-at-home Mother. She was the “block mother” so to

speak, as the children grew their home was always filled with other kids coming over. As

the children reached school age Yvonne became a room Mother and later a cub and boy

scout leader as well as a brownie and girl scout leader. Yvonne was very active in her

children’s formative years.

Her husband, Herb, was a brick mason and spent a lot of time working out of town. There

were several summers that the whole family would pack up and go with him. Two of those

were to Romeo and New Castle, both of which hold fond memories. As the children

reached Junior High School, Yvonne began volunteering as an Election Judge and

Women's Resource Center Counselor (7 years). When the children where in High School

she transported rent-a-cars, all the while still contributing to the community. Yvonne

worked at Bendix for the A.E.C and attended Mesa State College earning as Associates

degree in Graphic Arts (1986). She then took a job at Mesa State College’s print shop.

Yvonne belonged to many organizations to include: Tops, Eastern Star, Rebekah’s,

Territorial Daughters, Lions Club and lifetime member of the Moose Lodge.

Yvonne volunteered at the Fruita Thrift Store. She also took a long-held vision and turned

it into a reality: the Fruita Community Center. However, her greatest passion was for the

preservation of Fruita and the lower valley’s history, where she founded the Lower Valley

Heritage Room in 1993. Along with this endeavor she was a board member of the Mesa

County Historical Society.

Yvonne had many hobbies to include rock hunting with the family, painting, cake

decorating for all occasions, canning for winter, sewing, photography, holidays decorating

and costumes, line dancing at the Moose Lodge, family gatherings and playing games with

Great Grandchildren and beloved friends.

Yvonne never met a stranger, she was a keeper of all things and lived life to the fullest.

Yvonne was proceeded in death by her cherished husband of 45 years Herbert (1999),

parents John H. Evers and Nelle I. Evers, three brothers John (Jack), Robert (Bob), and

James (Jim) Evers.

Yvonne is survived by son Mike (Diana) Peterson of Fruita, daughters Terri (Dan) Donahue

of Nevada, and Vicki Jo Dabbs of Fruita. Three grandchildren Leon Bond of Fruita, Nicole

(Carlos) Villalobos of Grand Junction, Lindsay (Kyle) Alstatt of Grand Junction and nine

great grandchildren. Two sisters Kayren Goss of Fruita, and Sherryl (Jim) Buckley of Grand

Junction, brother-in-law Rudy (Vivian) Wilkerson and numerous nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank the staff at Family Health West in Fruita, Intermountain Health of

Grand Junction, and most of all Hope West Hospice for their care and kindness shown to

our mother.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be

made to Hope West Hospice of Grand Junction, Colorado. Our Mother will remain in our

hearts and thoughts forever