Mary Peterson

1940 - 2015

Mary Laraway Denton Peterson, 75, passed away on May 23, 2015. Born in Jackson, MI, on Feb 4, 1940, she graduated salutatorian of the Jackson High School class of 1958 and attended Radcliffe College where she received her A.B. in 1962. Mary obtained her R.N. degree from the Massachusetts General Hospital and her B.S. in Nursing from Metropolitan State College. Married Peter Peterson on July 27, 1963. Son, Eric, is married to Anne Mairs and has 3 children: Colin, Trevor, and Molly. Daughter, Lisa, is engaged to marry Douglas Blaisdell. Survived by brother, John Denton; sister-in-law, Sheila Denton; niece, Sue Denton; and nephew, Rob Denton. She had a long career with the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross where she was recognized with the 1989 Manager's Tiffany Award for Employee Excellence. Mary is remembered by friends, family, and community members for her tireless charitable and volunteer contributions. Recent examples include tutoring students through NAMES (Native American Multi-Cultural Education school) and hosting youth in the Building Bridges program. Mary enjoyed participating in book groups with her dear friends throughout most of her adult life. One friend described her as "an extraordinary being... so open-minded and so broad in her acceptance and understanding of others. She was really a role model for everyone, with her ability to embrace mankind and to love people as they were." Services to be held 3:30pm, Sunday, May 31, 2015, at First Universalist Church, 4101 E. Hampden Ave, Denver 80222. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary's name to the American Red Cross or the First Universalist Church.