Carol Petersen, 91, Albert Lea

Published 9:17 am Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Funeral services for Carol Thelma Petersen will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Ascension Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The Rev. Mark Boorsma will officiate. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Interment will be in Alden Cemetery.

Carol Petersen died on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Albert Lea.

Carol Petersen

Born Oct. 11, 1921, at home on a farm in Bricelyn to Corald and Wilma Johnson she was the third child of seven children: Vernon, Don, Gordon, Peggy, Richard and Anita. Carol attended elementary school in a one-room country schoolhouse and later transferred to Alden school where she graduated in 1940.

In 1942, Carol married her high school sweetheart, Clifford Petersen. After completing a stint in the Army, Carol and Clifford returned to Minnesota with their newborn daughter, Linda and lived for a year in Albert Lea. They moved to Chicago for three years where their son, Larry was born. They then returned to Albert Lea in 1950 and settled there for life.

Carol’s major focus in life was being a homemaker. She loved cooking, gardening, canning, entertaining and hosting family gatherings. She was an excellent seamstress and loved doing crafts. She was an active volunteer in her church including teaching Sunday school for 25 years. Carol received her 50-year pin for membership in the Danish Sisterhood. In retirement, she and Cliff spent many adventurous years in Florida and eventually bought a second home in Arizona.

Carol is survived by her children, Linda Zimney of Minneapolis and Larry (Sandy) Petersen of Albert Lea; grandchildren, Michelle Zimney (Ted Hoagland) of Santa Barbara, Calif., Elizabeth Zimney of Bozeman, Mont., Steven (Anne) Petersen of Northfield and Andrew (Keli) Petersen of Albert Lea; great-grandchildren, Alex, Sidney, Jack and Sam; brother, Richard (Marilyn) Johnson of Stewartville; sisters, Peggy (Melvin) Bangert of Mankato and Anita (Claude) Seigler of Mankato; as well as several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Vernon, Don and Gordon.

Carol will be missed by all of her family, relatives, and friends including the Ruoc Nguyen family of San Jose, Calif.

Memorials preferred to St John’s Lutheran Home, Albert Lea Hospice or Ascension Lutheran Church in memory of Carol.