Elizabeth Joyce "Betty" Peterson, age 78, died on April 19, 2025, at Edenbrook Nursing Home in Edina, Minnesota. She was born on June 30, 1946, in Joliet, Illinois, to Jack Bronk Batchelor and Helen Joyce (Parlin) Batchelor.

As a teenager, Betty loved her animals—especially her horses, Babe and Lucky, and her dog, Scamper. She had a natural way with them, training Lucky for barrel racing and teaching Scamper many tricks. Animals were a central joy in her early life.

While living in California, Betty married Terrance Alan Peterson on November 29, 1974. They had one daughter, Daisy Christine Peterson. After the marriage ended, Betty continued raising Daisy.

Betty earned a teaching degree in California before moving to Minnesota, where she completed a special‑education program at the University of Minnesota. She devoted much of her career to supporting children and young adults with significant disabilities, teaching in Oakland Unified, St. Paul Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, Robbinsdale Area Schools, and several intermediate districts. Her work included supporting students with autism, physical impairments, and moderate to severe developmental disabilities, as well as transition‑age students in community and vocational settings. She also co‑directed All Together Now, an inclusive recreation program in the San Francisco Bay Area, and later founded her own support‑planning business, Life of My Own, LLC. Many of the families she supported spoke warmly of her dedication and the care she brought to her work.

Outside of her professional life, Betty was a gifted pianist. She was deeply at home on her piano bench, and music remained a steady joy throughout her life. She also loved attending bluegrass festivals, where she enjoyed the energy, community, and spontaneity of live music.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Helen and Jack Batchelor. She is survived by her daughter, Daisy Christine Urness, and son‑in‑law, Sam Urness. She is also survived by her siblings—Barbara Batchelor, Robert Batchelor, Polly Zabel, Willis Batchelor, and Mary Lark—as well as her nieces and nephews and their families.