Della Bryan Peterson

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared that the meek shall inherit the earth and the Good Lord would be hard-pressed to find someone who was more gentle and humble than Della Peterson. With her parents and four older brothers, Della grew up in Victoria Courts during the latter years of the Great Depression and World War 2. She graduated from Brackenridge High School and married her high school sweetheart, Marshall Peterson, who had graduated early to join the US Navy.

Like many women of her generation, Della was first a devoted wife and mother. While she never loved the daily grind of cooking, her homemaking prowess was evident in the loving home life she created on the Southside of San Antonio for a family that eventually included seven children-five girls and two boys. The house may have been small and crowded, lacking modern design amenities, but Della made sure it was filled with care and support and love and plenty of life lessons.

One way she demonstrated her love was through sewing, which was also an invaluable skill to have with five daughters. Della made countless Easter dresses, prom dresses, and uniforms for school activities. She was the kind of mom who would help out school friends by making their uniforms as well. She even hand-made a couple of wedding dresses. Della could make doll clothes for all kinds of dolls, often fashioning the patterns herself, if need be.

Della was a devout Christian and supporter of her local church. She and Marshall raised their children in Harlandale Baptist Church where she taught in various children’s and youth programs. Nothing gave Della more joy than to have all her children in church with her. Later on, Marshall and Della would attend First Baptist- San Antonio, where Della enjoyed serving as a greeter every Sunday morning. She and Marshall also served the greater San Antonio community by sorting clothes donated to the church’s clothes closet. In her later years, Della enjoyed attending Bible Study Fellowship.

Della wasn’t just a wife and mother, however. Once her youngest child started kindergarten and the oldest had gone to college, Della became a para-professional in the Harlandale Independent School District, teaching reading skills to migrant students. Della had a knack for working with these children, primarily because she showered them with the same care and support she gave her own children. Eventually, Della left the classroom to take on a role new to the school: using computers to schedule classes and compute grades. Much to her amazement, Della had a knack for this new work as well, and she advanced in her role as a computer clerk and data analyst as she helped pioneer the use of computers in schools long before there was an internet.

Marshall and Della enjoyed 61 years of marriage, until his death in 2017. Della was also preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, and beloved grandson, Ian Smith. She is survived by her children, Steven and wife Cheryl, Elaine and husband Gary, Ben and wife Melissa, Annette, Jennifer, Carole and husband Cody, Sharon and husband Jason; and fifteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Sunday, October 1, 2023, at Porter Loring Mortuary.

FUNERAL SERVICEMONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 202312:00 P.M.FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH515 MCCULLOUGH AVENUE

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