Esther Margaret Peterson

Esther Margaret Peterson was born in Seattle to immigrant Swedish parents, Gustav and Mathilda Peterson on September 23, 1921. She had one sister, Edith, two years older. They became lifelong friends. She had two older brothers, Ernest and Gunnar Howard, who died in childhood.

Esther and her family lived in a small home near Green Lake in Seattle, and she lived there most of her life. They were a close knit family and spoke only Swedish until she was three. Many happy times were spent camping and visiting nearby parks, such as Pine Lake.

Since all of their relatives lived in Sweden, their extended family became their fellow members of Bethany Lutheran Church. A typical Sunday involved church services and then visits in each others homes.

Esther was only eight when the Great Depression hit, though her father remained employed by the railroad. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1940. Since money was tight, her family could only afford to send her older sister Edith to Nursing School. So Esther attended Business College, and used her secretarial skills the rest of her working career. During World War II, when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, she obtained the highest classified clearance to help decode messages.

During her twenties, Esther was infected with tuberculosis, for which there was no cure. She spent over seven years convalescing at the Firland Sanitarium. This was a very dark time in her life, but she gained a deep trust in God, one that she would keep the rest of her life. She always maintained a positive attitude.

Esther was employed for many years at the downtown Seattle YMCA, making many lifelong friends. She then worked for several years at GAF, a photography company. Her last job was as an administrative secretary for the University of Washington Graduate School. She was extremely organized, efficient, and well-liked by her co-workers.

After retirement, Esther and Edith made their dream trip to Scandinavia, and most of all, Sweden. It was their first and only time to meet their relatives for the first time, visit where their parents had lived, and practice their Swedish. The two also enjoyed trips to many of the National Parks and Hawaii.

Esther had many interests and talents. She was an excellent seamstress, baker, and cook. She joined the Mountaineers because of her love of the outdoors and hiking. She excelled in flower arranging, enjoyed gardening, aerobics, and loved watching the Mariners.

She had an excellent sense of humor and loved to laugh. Esther really enjoyed animals, but her greatest love was for children, particularly, her three nephews and niece, Bruce, Kent, Brian, and Jean. Since she never married and have children of her own, they became her children. She became their beloved Auntie. She always had fun games for them to play, baked a special pie on their birthday, and loved them as her own children.

Esther moved to an apartment with her sister in 2003 at Warm Beach Senior Community, and later lived there in Nursing Care until her death on April 10th. Her deep faith in God never wavered, and she has finally gone Home to join her beloved sister, brothers and parents.

Esther is survived by her three nephews and one niece, nine grandnieces and grandnephews, and seven great grandnieces and great grandnephews. She will be sorely missed.