Stella B. Peterson

Stella Bernadette Peterson of New City passed away on August 14, 2026, at the age of 81 years. As it had been throughout her life, Stella was surrounded by family, friends, love, and prayers in her final days.

Stella was born on July 8, 1945, to Frank and Elia Cuomo. She was raised in Pearl River, New York, and was a graduate of Albertus Magnus High School, class of 1963. She attended Ithaca College, where she studied accounting, eventually becoming a Certified Public Accountant. In 1967, she married fellow AMHS 1963 graduate Harold J. Peterson. They stayed in Rockland County and had two children, Melissa and Michael. They were married for 55 years at the time of Harold’s passing in 2022.

Anyone who knew Stella knew that she was a fountain of wisdom. She had the incredibly rare ability to speak with strong moral conviction but also to make people feel comfortable enough to say whatever they wanted to say. People-old, young, male, female, people she knew well, people she just met-would seek her advice and would talk to her for hours.

Stella was a long time employee of the Clarkstown Central School District, serving as Treasurer and Director of Fiscal Services. She retired in 2009 and was inducted into the CCSD Hall of Fame in 2014.

She loved true crime documentaries, murder mysteries, reading, shopping, and spending time with her precious dog Molly and “grand-dog” Chloe. She was a member of the Romanesque Lodge No. 2198 and could be seen working the games at the annual Italian Feast and Carnival in Tappan.

She was an active parishioner at St. Augustine Church in New City, attending regularly with her family. Her faith in Jesus Christ was at the root of her charitableness, which she displayed her entire life to her family and friends and to strangers in need.

Stella was a beloved mother, grandma, sister, aunt, and friend. Her kindness, generosity, and faith in God was an inspiration to everyone she knew. Her valiant battle with pancreatic cancer, which she waged with an unrelenting grace, made her even more inspirational to all who knew her.

She is predeceased by her loving parents Frank and Elia Cuomo and her adoring husband Harold Peterson. She is survived by her daughter Melissa Feltham and her husband Mike; her son Michael and his wife Kathy (Entwistle); her grandchildren Kara, Emma, Jack, Kaitlyn, and Anna; her sisters Anita Estes and her husband Frank, and Lenore Gerlach and her husband Fred; her sisters-in-law Kathleen Iacovides and her husband Tasos, and Mary Murphy and her husband Richard; and many loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Stella was compassionate, intelligent, and fashionable, and she was a strong and determined woman. She always made her family and friends feel welcomed, accepted and loved. She will be dearly missed by all who were lucky enough to know her.

The wake will be held on Wednesday, August 19, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Michael J. Higgins Funeral Service in New City. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, August 20, at 10:00 am at St. Augustine Church in New City, followed by a burial at Gethsemane Cemetery in Congers.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The ARC Rockland, an organization that was dear to Stella and her late husband Harold, or to United Hospice of Rockland, who provided supportive care for Stella at the end of her life.