VIRGINIA PETERSON

Mary Virginia Peterson, 83, passed away Aug. 21, 2009, peacefully in her home in Weaverville with her son, Eric, at her side.

She was born May 3, 1926, in Denver.

Mrs. Peterson obtained her special secondary teaching credential in art after attending several colleges, including University of California, Los Angeles. She married Richard Peterson, a widower, in 1953, and soon after adopted his daughters Terry and Cathy. They lived in Sylmar, Calif., until her husband's retirement in 1975, when they moved to Weaverville with their children Christy and Eric.

Mrs. Peterson worked as a substitute teacher, GATE teacher and art coordinator for Trinity County schools. She was very involved in the community of Weaverville. She served on the board of the Trinity County Historical Society, the Highland Art Center and the Community Access Channel. She was a deacon at the Trinity Congregational Church, volunteered at and conducted school tours for the Jake Jackson Museum, was the Redding Community Concert membership contact for Weaverville, played in the Community Band, and was part of a recorder quartet. She was a volunteer for the American Field Service foreign exchange student program for 47 years. Her many volunteer contributions will be greatly missed.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, in 2000, and a brother, George, in 1975. She is survived by her sisters Jean Cuney of San Antonio and Patricia McCall of Phoenix; brother, Charles Engel of Hermosa Beach, Calif.; daughters Terry Bennett (Rich) of Redmond, Wash., Catherine Hall (Herb) of Shasta Lake City and Christine Bucks (Jeff) of Redding; son, Eric (Adriane) of Weaverville; six grandchildren; and her first great-grandson who was born within hours of her passing. She also had many foreign exchange "children," including Darsi Akib of Indonesia and Darsi's children Silmar ("Uti") and Aca, Yoshi Imasaka of Japan, Angelo Reis of Brazil, Ekapon Saisuwan of Thailand, YuQuing Zhang of China and Katrin Diehl of Germany.

A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Trinity Congregational Church on Main Street in Weaverville. A potluck reception will follow and Mrs. Peterson's favorite "brown cows" (root beer floats) will be served. Memorial donations may be made to the Highland Art Center, Jake Jackson Museum, or the Trinity Wildlife Survival Center.