Mary L. Petersen (1921-2015)

Mary L. Petersen, age 94 a resident of Kenosha, died Sunday October 4^th 2015 at St. Josephs Home.

Mary was born on September 2^nd, 1921 to John and Anna (McCabe) Bartel. She was a lifelong Kenosha resident, who attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School and graduated from Kenosha High School in 1939.

After high school, she worked at Jockey, then at Fansteel in North Chicago during World War II. She would later tell her children that she wondered what the “Manhattan Project” was because she typed it so often when she worked there.

On November 23^rd, 1946 she was united in marriage with Fred H. Petersen at the St. Thomas Aquinas rectory. Fred would precede Mary in death on September 12, 2012.

Mary loved to read, devouring many books weekly until the loss of her eyesight, and then she continued to enjoy thousands of books on tape. In addition to reading, Mary enjoyed her weekly bridge games.

Along with her husband Fred, she loved to go antiquing, collecting glassware in their travels and attending their yearly NTHCS conventions. This hobby took them to many places across the country that they otherwise would never have seen.

Mary was a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church, the Catholic Women’s Club and the St. Catherine’s Auxiliary.

Surviving Mary are her three sons, Kent Petersen, Jim (Sue Smith) Petersen and Mark (Char) Petersen, her son-in-law Bill Gray, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her daughter Lynne and by her only sister Patricia Johnson.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday October 8^th 2015 at 11:00AM at St. Marks Catholic Church in Kenosha. A visitation with the family will take place on Thursday at the church from 10:00AM until the time of mass. Burial will follow in St. James Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the charity of ones choice would be appreciated.