Gladys I. Peterson

Gladys I. Peterson, age 84 of Eastman, died Thursday, March 11, 2010. Gladys Irene (Hanson) Peterson, 84, died March 11, 2010, at Sannes Skogdalen Nursing Home in Soldiers Grove, WI where she had been a resident since January 19, 2010. Gladys was born June 2, 1925, at the family farm near Prairie du Chien, WI, the youngest child of Ida Cecil (Welty) and Guy Hanson. She attended Seven Mile School between Eastman and Prairie du Chien, graduated from Prairie du Chien High School in 1942, received a teaching certificate from Platteville Normal School in 1944 and later gained a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. She started her teaching career at Irish Ridge and Seven Mile Schools, taking a hiatus when she married William John Peterson on August 8, 1947. Married for 43 years until his death in 1990, they raised seven children on the family farms near Senecaland precious to the Peterson family for more than 130 years. She resumed her teaching career at Lynxville and Seneca in 1968 and continued until 1990, and then substitute taught for another ten years. She listed Jim Finley, Bob Monke, Lucille Dagnon and Larry Stephenson as her dearest teaching partners. She said her greatest desire in teaching was to positively influence young people. Gladys had life-long affiliations with Seneca and Crawford County organizations. She was an extremely active member and served in many volunteer positions with the Seneca Methodist Church. She was a 50+ year 4-H leader; she and husband Bill started the Happy Hi-Liters 4-H club. She is remembered as the founder of the Seneca birthday and anniversary calendar, a fundraiser for the 4-H club. Bill and Gladys were life-long Farm Bureau members and volunteers. She enjoyed unconventional transportationwhether riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle in college or brushing the treetops in a hot air balloon basket. Bill and Gladys took numerous balloon flights, and Gladys was a valued committee member of the Hudson Hot Air Affair Balloon Rally with her children. She enjoyed traveling, playing cards with friends in Steuben, attending and keeping score at local sporting events and spending time with her family. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband; sister Evalyn Wynona; brother Francis Hanson; and parents Ida Cecil and Guy Hanson.She is survived by children Evalyn (John) Nerbonne of Hudson, WI; Evonne (Darwin) Jordan of Las Vegas, NV; Ruth Peterson of Hudson, WI; Shirley (Tim) Morgan of Austin, MN; Leroy Peterson of Eastman, WI; John (Meg) Peterson of Eastman, WI; and Carol (Jay) Ganz of Fortville, IN.; grandchildren Todd (Sharon) Nerbonne of Eau Claire, WI; Matt (Vesna) Jordan of Spring Valley, MN; Debbie Swift of San Diego, CA; Steven (friend Amanda Ackland) Dallmann of Austin, MN; Samantha (fiance Jordan Hall) Dallmann of Austin, MN; Jessica Morgan of Austin, MN; Andrew Peterson of San Diego, CA; Logan Peterson of Platteville, WI; and Jayme Ganz of Fortville, IN.; great-grandchildren Erica and Sarah Nerbonne; Madison Jordan; Ryan Grembowski; Jesse Christopherson and Talan Hall; extended family John (Gloria) Jordan of Plymouth, MN; and Mihoko Kunitomo Sato of Tokyo, Japan. She is also survived by her brother Leo (Lorraine) Hanson of Gays Mills, WI; sister-in-law Lola Hanson and many nieces, nephews, relatives and close like-family friends. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 pm Friday, March 19, 2010, at Dommersnaes-Bertram Family Funeral Home in Gays Mills, WI. Funeral services will be at 1 pm on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at Seneca Methodist Church with Pastor Mike Christensen officiating. Visitation will be from 11:30 am until the time of service with burial at Dickson Cemetery. Pallbearers are Todd Nerbonne, Matt Jordan, Steven Dallmann, Andrew Peterson, Logan Peterson and John Paul Jordan. The family prefers memorials to the Gladys Peterson Memorial Scholarship Fund for graduating students at Seneca High School.