Annabelle Carol Peterson (nee Anderson) was born May 9, 1938 to Lester Roy Anderson and Amy Keziah Anderson (nee Bure) in the township of Pickeral Lake, Minnesota. She died at home in Zion, Illinois on April 20, 2022 in the company of her family.

Annabelle Carol Peterson

Annabelle married John M. Peterson in 1955; they had three children, Chane, Parke and Amy.

Annabelle completed her high school GED after getting married and worked many interesting jobs throughout her lifetime. She was a hard worker. As a child and in her teens she worked in the onion fields and at the county poor farm. She worked in Minnesota factories like Lindsey Sash glazing windows, Tony Downs processing food and Brown Printing making catalogues. Her love of meeting people drew her to jobs selling products like Avon, Shaklee, and Princess House. Annabelle loved to cook and for a time she owned her own restaurant (Anne’s Café in Vernon Center). Later, her love of cooking and people led her to help manage and cook for the cafeteria operations at the technical college in Waseca.

Annabelle lived for many years near Great Lakes naval base where she drove taxi in the area; arguably one of the most dangerous professions one could have!

The “job” Annabelle loved the most was caring for her children, grandchildren, and great grand-children.

Annabelle was gifted with curiosity and a sense of adventure. She had many talents and interests through her life. She rode motorcycles, gardened, embroidered, and did elaborate cake decorating. She beautifully refinished old wooden furniture, windows, and doors restoring their beauty. She loved to sew outfits for her grandchildren. If something struck her interest, Annabelle gave it a try, from making corn cob jelly to creating beautifully loomed woolen rugs, to installing a subfloor in a basement room of her house. Annabelle loved to travel and she loved history. She was proud of her Native American heritage and tried hard for many years to learn more about her father and his ancestors.

Annabelle was a voracious reader. She read thousands of books over her lifetime and would often read more than one a week. She loved stories and she loved to share them– whether they be the stories told in the books she read, or the stories held in the history of the places she traveled, or the stories of the people she encountered.

Annabelle’s love of people was broad and deep. No matter the time day or night, she always gave her time to the people who needed her whether to share in their joys or to lean on her in difficult times.

Annabelle was pre-deceased by her brother Hendrick Struyk, her son Chane Morris Peterson and her beloved Shih Tzu dog Amy Jane. She is survived by her children Parke Peterson and Amy Peterson, her grand-children Heather, Heidi, and Trevor, four great grand-children, and her siblings Joy Ness, Lester Anderson Jr., Curtis Anderson, Adrianus John Struyk (Jimmy), and Jennie Neville.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Woodlands Hills Funeral Home, 1605 Woodland Ave, Mankato, MN 56001 on May 9, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.  Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m.