Obituary of Beverly Ann Peterson

 

Beverly Ann Peterson

March 29, 1939 – April 17, 2025

86 years old

Beverly Ann Peterson passed away peacefully on April 17, 2025, with family at her side at her home in Forest Lake, Minnesota.  Bev will be remembered in a funeral service for family and friends on May 22, 2025, at Messiah Lutheran Church, Forest Lake, Minnesota.  A graveside service for Bev and her sister, Janice, who passed in November 2024, will be held in July at Vergas City Cemetery, Vergas, Minnesota. 

Bev was born on March 29, 1939, the youngest child in a family of nine children born to Herman and Blanche (Sandin) Peterson in Fargo, North Dakota.  Her family moved for work to Gresham, Oregon, when she was a toddler.  By the time grade school started, the family moved to Vergas, Minnesota.  Bev was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

During her grade school years, Bev lived for a brief time in Pasadena, but returned to Vergas.  As a teenager with older siblings, her summertime jobs often included babysitting her nieces and nephews.  She attended Frazee High School through 11th grade and maintained her friendships with Frazee classmates throughout her lifetime.  In 1956, she moved away to live with her eldest sibling, Earl, and his family, in Hammond, Indiana, where she graduated from Hammond High School with the class of 1957.

While working at a Kinney Shoe Store, she met Paul Tubbs and they started a family together, living in a variety of Chicagoland suburbs with their children—Jerry, Jeff, and Kelli—before landing in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  She learned a few things from their friendly Italian landlady and traded recipes and playdates with Hammond High friends, Judy and Nancy.  She loved the city, but missed “home” more and more with each passing year.  In 1972, the family moved to the big brown rambler in Forest Lake.  One day, while riding in the car, she exclaimed, “I LOVE IT HERE!”  Paul, who was driving, promptly pulled the car onto the shoulder to let her out…and everyone laughed about that for years to come.  The family was instrumental in the founding of Messiah Lutheran Church, which had its first services in the living room of another founding family before the charter for the church was officially approved.

She encouraged her children to play sports, to dive into the arts, to follow their interests, and to love music.  She was a Cub Scout den mother, took Jerry to a homecoming parade of the Apollo 8 astronauts in downtown Chicago, took both boys to “Punt, Pass & Kick” competitions, went to countless plays, soccer games, gymnastics meets, baseball and softball games, and kids’ and grandkids’ school concerts, in addition to taking Kelli to concerts of musicians who were influential to her, like drummer Buddy Rich and the Baja Marimba Band.

She was the first in the family to pursue their real estate license, working for Brunfelt Realty, in Forest Lake, before Paul joined her in the real estate industry a few years later.  Leaving that, she had years or fun and laughter between court cases with her coworkers at the Washington County Courthouse.

In the 1980s, when her kids were on their post-high school pathways into work and college, Bev attended college, studying interior design, becoming the first college graduate in the Tubbs/Peterson family.  She used that knowledge to decorate her own home and while working part time at Carpets Galore in Forest Lake.  She took ice skating lessons.  She took lessons in the art of stained glass.  And, in one of her most-loved adventures, she went river rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon with her world-traveling sister, Gloria.  Really, that’s pretty hard to beat.

Family was important.  Bev and her sisters took annual vacations together after losing several siblings far too early.  She was present at nearly every niece or nephew’s wedding.  Bev was a beloved aunt and, really, a special friend and “substitute mom” to several nieces.  She had a wonderful sense of humor, enjoyed reading murder mysteries, working crossword puzzles, and watching romantic comedy movies.

Starting in 1986, she came into a new phase of life she absolutely loved as “Gram” to Derek, Brittany, and Tim, and babysat them when the chance arose.  She was extra delighted when she had the chance to meet the eldest of her four great-grandchildren.

After she and Paul divorced, she pursued full time work at Scandia-based Nickelson Plastics, renamed Xccent in later years.  She was a trusted and respected member of the company.  Her annual reviews frequently commented on her professionalism, self-directed work ethic, and the ability to cheerfully welcome all who entered the door.  She retired in 2007.

She LOVED music.  Not her parents’ music.  Rock and roll and more.  She loved artists like Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Seals and Crofts, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Carly Simon, Dean Martin, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Rod Stewart, Dusty Springfield, Cat Stevens, Janis Joplin, Kenny Rogers, Bob Seger, and Teddy Pendergrass, and frequently had her music blaring inside her black Grand Prix…you know, the one with the T-top sunroof.  She recalled that the ladies in the maternity ward were all fussing about the new musical act on the Ed Sullivan show…and how disappointingly long The Beatles’ hair was.  Some of the new mothers didn’t approve, but Bev loved it!  A favorite memory from 1982 is when she said, “Your dad and I are going to see Rod Stewart.  Do you want us to get you tickets?”  She was relieved when Prince wasn’t naked on stage for his “Nude Tour” and cheered in delight from the main floor at the Paul McCartney concert she attended in the 1990s.  She enjoyed seeing Bonnie Raitt in concert, too.

In 2012, her kids started noticing that Bev was no longer able to manage her usually “perfect to the penny” checkbook.  This was the first sign of the dementia that was to take hold for more than a decade.  The next 13 years would be seen by family members as a long series of ping pong moves involving the loss of a skill or common knowledge, followed by a long plateau of holding steady.  Sometimes she knew her memory was failing and at other times, she didn’t.  She silently wrote each phone conversation down so she couldn’t forget the important bits, and she was fixated on writing down her kids’ phone numbers.  There were moments our “real” mom would shine through the dementia and those moments carried us through the rough days.  She was fortunate to have son, Jeff, acting as her primary caretaker.  Not only was he good company to her, but he ensured her daily medicines were taken, that she had proper snacks and meals, and that the laundry and yard were tended.  Bev’s neighbors were also blessings and her family is grateful for them and how they cared for Bev with casual conversations and check-ins.

In her final decline, she received hospice care at home with the assistance of St. Croix Hospice.  She received exceptional care from Registered Nurse Amy and Home Health Aide Allisa who both advocated for her, guided her children on how to provide the right care, and gave her—Jeff and Kelli, too—extra love and support when it was needed most.

In addition to children Jerry (Beth) Tubbs of San Marcos, CA, Jeff of Forest Lake, and Kelli Rae of Chisago City; grandchildren Derek (Terra), Brittany and Tim (Casey), and great-grandchildren (Jayden, Tristan, Tandon, and Tate), Bev is survived by siblings Gloria Higdem of Mesa, AZ, and Allen “Pete” Peterson of Vergas, MN; 16 nieces and nephews; and nearly 100 grand- and great-grandnieces and nephews; and her school chums from Frazee and Hammond high schools.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings (and  their spouses) Joyce & John Kromer, Earl & Laura Peterson, Leonard Peterson, Donna & Ray Bruhn, and Shirley & Walter Sandau, Janice Hasson, sister-in-law Jill Peterson and brother-in-law Lyndon Higdem; her former husband, Paul Tubbs; nieces and nephews John “Jack” Kromer, James Kromer, Patricia (Sandau) Beckler, Charlene (Sandau) Engel, Janis (Sandau) Golkowski, Randy Bruhn, David Bruhn, and Ryan Peterson; and grandnephew, Craig.

The funeral service at Messiah Lutheran Church will be officiated by Reverend Gregory Musolf with special music provided by Dr. Charles Kemper, Chuck Linderkamp, niece JoAnn Bruhn, and Andy LaCasse.  Interment at Vergas City Cemetery will occur in July 2025.  Urnbearers are Gregory Higdem (funeral) and Wayne Engel (graveside).

Bev did not have a “favorite” charitable cause, but a donation in her name toward dementia research could have meaningful impact for individuals and their families who may face the same situation head on in the future.