Marilyn E. Peterson

Marilyn E. Peterson, 83, died on Thursday January 26, 2017 at the Davis Hospice Center after a brief illness. She was born on March 27, 1933 to Rueben and Gertrude (Fickenscher) Bratten in a farmhouse in the Sand Hills of the Wild Horse Valley north of Brady, Nebraska. On that day her father shot a whooping crane, perhaps for dinner. Later the family moved to a farm north of Gothenburg, Nebraska. She attended elementary school in a one room, rural school house and graduated eighth grade. She graduated with honors from Gothenburg High School in 1950. She attended Denver University and went to Nursing School at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, graduating with honors as a registered nurse in 1954 and a BS degree from DU in 1955.
On February 25, 1955, she married James “Jim” Peterson who was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base, preceding her in death on December 3, 2013 after almost 59 years of marriage. To this union four sons were born: Lance, Michael, Douglas and Jeffery.
They moved to Cheyenne after Jim’s discharge from the Air Force and made their home here for the rest of their lives. Marilyn’s nursing career included working at Children’s Hospital in Denver, CO, DePaul Hospital in Cheyenne, and the Laramie County School District as an elementary school nurse at Davis, Corlett, Cole, and Pioneer Park schools. She enjoyed music, baking, cross stitch, sewing, crafts and her photo collection of her immediate and extended families. She and Jim travelled extensively during retirement both nationally and internationally. She leaves behind her beloved family: sisters: Beverly Schmeeckle and Cheryl Rice, sons: Lance (Ginnie) of Cheyenne, Mick (Monica) of Farmington, NM, Doug (Yvonne) of Cheyenne and Jeff (Shannon) of Lincoln, NE, grandchildren: Sara (Bill) Beres of Buffalo, WY, Wes (Abbey) Peterson of Cheyenne, Lindsey (John) Anzalone of South Sioux City, NE, Zachary (Alicia) Peterson of West Richland, WA, Ryan (Cynthia) Peterson of Johnston, CO, Aaron Peterson of Cheyenne, Abbey (Michael) Peatrowsky of Omaha, NE and Brandon Peterson of Lincoln, NE and seven greatgrandchildren: Billy, Michael, Nicholas, Daniel, James, Samuel and Ava. . Services will be held on Saturday, February 4th at 2pm at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel. Online tributes can be sent to www.wrcfuneral.com . Her cremains will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens next to James. No flowers are requested but memorials can be given to the Cheyenne Botanical Garden.