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Shirley Ann Peterson

On June 18th of 2019, after many years of chronic pain, and multiple health conditions, Shirley Ann Peterson, age 81, left her broken body at the Christian Community Home of Hudson, WI to be with the Lord. She is finally enjoying the Wentzlaff Family Reunion she had been dreaming of.

Shirley was born on March 31st of 1938 in Nicollet, MN the tenth child of Henry and Leocadia (Berger) Wentzlaff. She attended grade school in Nicollet, MN, and graduated from the Villa Maria Academy Boarding School of Frontenac, MN. She was united in marriage to Gary L. Peterson and they purchased a small hobby farm in Woodville, WI. Although, their union would later dissolve, they were blessed with two daughters: Jodi & Rebekah.

She was proud of the work she did for St.Croix County Public Health as a clerk assisting with the Women, Infants and Children Program for 25 yrs. She had a deep desire to help those in need and felt a great sense of satisfaction when former W.I.C. families and their children would recognize and greet her in the community. She resided in the Baldwin Woodville area for more than 40 yrs until the bossiest of her two daughters moved her to Hudson, WI in 2011 to better assist Shirley with her growing healthcare needs. She missed her home church, community and friends and never fully considered Hudson her home. If not for her granddaughters residing in Hudson she likely would have hitched a ride back to Baldwin.

Departing thoughts…If chocolate chip cookies are not available please don’t deliver snickerdoodle, peanut butter, and most certainly NOT oatmeal raisin but Monster cookies might have been an acceptable 2nd choice.

Shirley wanted it known that her last fall from the wheelchair WAS NOT DUE to reaching for a cookie on the floor regardless of the chocolate chip cookie found beneath her or what the official incident report stated.

She was a gifted flower gardener. She would want you to take time to smell the roses & feel the dew upon your bare feet.

Feed the birds, raise a monarch caterpillar and release the butterfly, take a drive for no reason other than to look at the trees and count deer. Be present with your family members rather than distracted by your device. Above all be thankful for each day that God has gifted you.

Shirley’s spunky personality and sense of humor will be greatly missed by her daughters, Jodi (Stephen her favorite & only SIL) Lashinski of Hudson, WI, and Rebekah Peterson of Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren, Payton and Piper Lashinski; sisters, Virginia Christle of Brainerd, MN, Geraldine Leonard of Nicollet, MN; as well as many nieces, nephews, other extended family, and beloved friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Elsie Skarda, Dorothy Armstrong, Eunice Ranweiler and infant sister Mary; brothers, Hank, Ed, and Bob Wentzlaff; and special friend, Marvin Gossel.

A Gathering of Family, Friends and Caregivers will be held from 4 -7 PM on July 11th, at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson, WI. Funeral service will be held at 11:00AM, July 12th at Faith Community Church of Hudson, WI. Visitation for one hour prior to the service.

Shirley would be honored to have memorials directed to the Sunday School program at Zion Lutheran Church of Woodville; 221 Lockwood St, Woodville, WI 54028

Thank you to the CCH staff for loving & caring for Shirley as though she was one of your own family members. Special thanks to The Lakeview Hospice Team of Stillwater, MN for giving Shirley the best bonus year any of us could have possibly imagined. We will be forever grateful!

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