Anna I. Petersen

NORFOLK -- A private celebration of life for Anna Petersen, 95, of Norfolk, NE, will be held at a later date. The Stonacek Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. She died Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 at the Norfolk Veterans Home in Norfolk. Anna was the heart of our family. We loved her but could not keep her, the pull of almost 70 years with the same man was too strong and she did not “want to be 95, if 95 was like this.” We held her, thanked her for all she had done for us, told her we would miss her, but that we would be all right. We lied, but only a little, so she could go in peace. Anna always said she would be all right if her children were all right. Anna was born July 18, 1923 on a farm near Meadow Grove in Pierce county, Nebraska to Carsten M. and Catherine (Hoos) Lorenzen. She was small and her life was hard because so much was expected of her from a very young age. A devoted, supportive, and loving daughter and sister, she worked on the farm to help her parents and siblings from the time she could stand on a stool by the wood-burning stove and help with supper. Anna was a teacher all her life. She started teaching professionally when she was 17 in country schools. After getting a two year diploma at Wayne State Teacher’s College, she taught at Monroe School in Norfolk. In 1947 fate intervened and Anna met her future husband, Verne, after he looked out the C&NW Railway office window where he worked and saw her walking from Monroe School to get lunch. They married in Tilden, Nebraska on August 22, 1948. (She had to think about his proposal for several days before she said yes.) When she married, the Norfolk school system canceled her teaching contract. For 34 years, from the birth of her first son until her youngest went to college, she had children in the house continuously. She made her family the center of her world and considered raising her children her most important job, guiding her children with gentle hands, a great deal of love, exceptional patience, and firm words when necessary. Anna did not believe in relying on the dreaded “wait until your father gets home.” By her example and action she taught not only reading, writing, and arithmetic but so much more about the importance of family. You rarely found her resting. She was almost always doing something usually for the benefit of others. Her garden fed us; her sewing machine produced clothes, curtains, quilts, toys and other wonders; she comforted us when we were sick; she defended and supported us in an often cruel world; and she made our house a home. If there was a way to stretch family resources by doing something herself she found it by painting; wallpapering; renovating the house; mending; refinishing and repairing used furniture; canning produce; decorating our walls with her beautiful handwork; and so much more. Her goal to be a good mother was met and far surpassed by her years of quiet listening, help with grandchildren, thoughtful handmade gifts, and thousands of unselfish acts. She was not perfect and never claimed to be, but she never stopped trying to do some good everyday. She loved children especially her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Anna helped out after the birth of all her grandchildren, taking her first airplane ride to help after the birth of one of her grandsons. Her caring and consideration extended to her students, friends of her children, and to neighborhood children as well. She couldn’t stand to see children struggling or hurting without trying to help. She created a safe haven for neighborhood children teaching them gardening, respect, and that they were valued. Survivors include her daughters Karen (Jim) Imler and Helen Petersen; a son Alan (Melinda) Petersen; grandchildren: Fred (Nichole) Petersen, David (Rhiannon Kaye) Imler, Sandy (Trish) Petersen, Douglas Imler, Sarah (Karlene Carron) Petersen; great-grandchildren: Hannah, Olive, Owen, Ellie, Albert, Marah, Toby, and Carter; and sisters Catherine Hansen and Alice Bradley. Anna was preceded in death by her spouse, Verne Petersen; her parents; her sons Loren and Steven Petersen; her daughter-in-law Edith Petersen; two brothers Carsten and John Lorenzen; one sister Ruth Hansen; two sisters-in-law; and four brothers-in-law. Online condolences may be left at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

Anna I. Petersen

July 18, 1923 - October 5, 2018