Obituary of Kathleen Anne Peterson

Kathleen Anne Weidkamp Peterson Kathleen was born on May 28, 1928 in Lynden, WA and passed away on January 22, 2011 in Tacoma, WA where she had lived since 1954 with her devoted husband of over 60 years; married December 16, 1950 in Lynden. The daughter of T. Milton and Nell Ecker Weidkamp, she graduated from Lynden High School in 1946. She began working at a young age, picking beans, raspberries and strawberries during the summer, and then worked as a clerk at the Lynden Department Store and JC Penney where she was a clerk and helped with window displays. She was active in the Lynden Methodist Church and the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, serving as Worthy Advisor in 1947. She attended the College of Puget Sound from 1947 to 1950 where she was a member of the Adelphian Concert Choir, Kappa Phi, Pi Phi Nu and Sigma Alpha Iota. After marrying Frank, they moved to Denver for Frank’s advanced degrees and she attended the University of Denver. From 1954 to the present, Frank and Kathleen lived in Tacoma where Frank was a professor and dean at the University of Puget Sound. She taught Home Economics at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma for 15 years, retiring in 1983. Active in the Tacoma community, she belonged to and held offices in numerous organizations including P.E.O., Tacoma Home Economists Association, Harmonaires, Ladies Musical Club and Retired Teachers Association. At the University of Puget Sound, she was active in UPS Women’s League; Faculty Women’s Club where she served three terms as president; the Home Economics Advisory Board; and co-chair of the Alumni Arts and Crafts Centennial Committee and two Centennial quilt projects. Frank and Kathleen were members of First United Methodist Church in Tacoma for 45 years before joining Lakewood United Methodist Church in 1999. As a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, she served in many ways: in leadership of the United Methodist Women; soloing and singing in choir; and making prayer shawls and food for church outreach programs. She and Frank team taught AARP Driver Safety Classes for 4 years. Kathleen had great interest and compassion for others. She was prolific with her handwork, completing hundreds of projects including 49 quilted eye glass cases, 267 knitted hats for the needy, 53 baby afghans (most of which were donated to a local hospital), with one in progress when she died, and 14 prayer shawls. She enjoyed cooking and sharing it with others ~ family dinners, strawberry shortcake and crab feeds, special celebrations. Trying new things and learning about others brought her great joy. She took great pride in both her home, decorating for every season and holiday, and her family. She loved the ocean, mountains, music, animals, roses, the fall of the year, reading, the beauty of nature and her beloved family which includes her husband, Frank; daughters Leann (Richard) O’Neill and Carol (Peter) Pitman, grandchildren Elizabeth Kathleen O’Neill, Peter John Pitman, Jr. and Brian Scott Pitman, all of Gig Harbor, WA; twin brother, Ken Weidkamp of Beaverton, Oregon and special extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service will be held on February 5, 2011 at 1:00 PM at The United Methodist Church at Lakewood, 6900 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 with reception following. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the “Frank and Kathleen Peterson Social Sciences Fund”, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner, CMB 1067, Tacoma, WA 98416; The United Methodist Church at Lakewood; or your favorite charity. Special Family Thoughts of a Devoted Wife, Mother and Grandmother Kathleen’s vital statistics are that she lived May 28, 1928 – January 22, 2011. The dates tell the beginning and ending, but the dash in the middle tells the story. As a wife, Kathleen was a life partner with time spent together since junior high, spanning about 70 years. What started as a great friendship grew into something so much more. She always graciously welcomed people into our home, took great care of our family, often putting her own needs and goals aside until the timing was right. She finished her Education degree after our daughters were in school full time; cared for many aging relatives; made countless handwork items to warm and comfort. “After over 60 years of marriage, I guess we must have done something right!” As a mother and mother-in-law, the memories and teachings are numerous: ~ A heart of gold and very generous, opening their home to a complete stranger after only knowing me for a few minutes. ~ Great sense of humor and someone fun to tease, but could always get a straight answer by saying “Honest?” and we would have to be; loved a good joke, would laugh robustly, but we often knew she didn’t get it and we would have to explain! ~ Love of cooking and sharing with others; changing recipes; taking whatever she had of seemingly nothing, throwing it all into a pot, simmering for a while and serving up such great soup from scratch. It was always about food, whether it was a new recipe to try with her family as guinea pigs, or more often, a plate of cookies, a pie, a cake or a pot of soup to take to someone in time of injury, illness, loss or just to say thank you for being my friend. Lemon meringue and apple pies on birthdays ~ no one could make them like Mom! ~ The importance of writing thank you notes which we have taught all the grandchildren, in spite of their protests! ~ She taught me to care for others through her guidance and loving example and to appreciate all that others do for me. ~ She always had her knitting or crocheting in her lap, making things for other people. ~ Her crafts so cherished; the books she voraciously read and shared; her great love of all kinds of music ~ Her voice correcting me with love when I needed it, but always encouraging me, and praising me, and telling me how proud she was of me. As a grandmother, she gave us lots of special things to cherish: ~ Her hugs and her delight at finding that our ears were cold so she could feel them ~ The lunches she prepared especially for me because she knew toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and Nalley’s chili were my favorites ~ The questions she asked and the interest she took in every aspect of my life ~ The things she made for me and her interest in my cooking. She wanted to know how I had prepared my first green beans and I proudly told her that I had opened a can and heated them in a pan of water! ~ The unique, “Surprise face” she would make when she opened presents, forming her mouth in a big “O” and exclaiming with sparkling eyes and delight! ~ Her encouragement for our education, wanting all of us to graduate from college and enjoy successful careers We were lucky to have her for a grandma and we always knew we were loved. “. . . The dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth. . . .” (Linda Ellis) The words written here tell the details of Kathleen’s life, but she was so much more to those who knew and loved her ~ teacher; servant of God; trusted friend; devoted wife, mother and grandmother; special family member; gracious, courageous lady. Her final years were filled with the failing of her physical body, but her mind and spirit were strong and she never gave up. May we all be inspired, and honor her by following her example of a lifetime of loving and serving others. “I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an after glow of smiles when life is done.” We are smiling through our tears for we have known your love and caring.