Mary Ann Peterson

Mary Ann Peterson, 72, passed away surrounded by those that adored her, on Sunday, July 3, 2011. She was born on August 19, 1938 to Paul and Mary Woodside Hinds in Kansas City, and grew up in Prairie Village, where she graduated from Shawnee Mission High School in 1956. On April 26, 1958, she married Gerald Peterson, Sr., raised three children, and in 1983, the two opened Miami County Lumber in Paola, where she worked as the Secretary/Treasurer, until she retired in 2005. Mary Ann was a member of the Paola Country Club and Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Mary Ann is preceded in death by her parents; brother, James Hinds; sister, Karen Penland; and grandson, James Michael Peterson. She is survived by her husband, Gerald Peterson, Sr, who honored, loved, and cared for her in the way only a great man can; son, Gerald "Pete" Peterson, Jr. of Paola, his wife, Kenna, their children, Tyler and Sydney; daughter, Julie Peterson of Paola, her children, Peter and Marley Allenbrand and step-son, Aaron Allenbrand and family; daughter, Jill Wier of Monroe, Louisiana, her husband, Wayne, and their children, Jack and Olivia. Surviving floods, familial problems, losses, and the most tremulous tests of life " Mary Ann was a woman who understood dignity and humility, and continuously found the beauty even within the darkest moments of life. Her family will remember her as someone who would never complain nor surrender to any difficulty. Should anyone have needed a friend, she was there; the perfect grandmother, she was there; a ride to school, a partner to dance with, or a moral guide through life, she was there. Mary Ann was a woman of enormous heart and compassion " the idyllic muse should her favorite artist, Billy Joel, ever need inspiration for a new song. There was never a woman more loved, nor a woman who could share more love; she will be wonderfully remembered, and forever adored each and every day. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer"s Association or Sunflower Health Care Hospice. She will be eternally missed by those she made laugh, dance, or sing. Holy Trinity Catholic Church,500 BLK East Chippewa Paola Service: Thursday, July 07, 2011 10:00 AM Visitation: Wednesday, July 06, 2011 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM /Rosary 6 PM