Anna Faye Teer Peterson

1912 - 2018

PETERSON, Anna Faye Teer Anna Faye Teer Peterson, age 105, died on January 4, 2018. She was born on March 22, 1912, to Clara Wayman Teer and Claude Duval Teer in Granger, Texas. She was educated in Granger until the family moved to Austin in 1927, when Claude Teer left the Texas Legislature to become secretary of the Highway Commission. He later served as chairman of the Texas State Board of Control until his death in 1939. Anna Faye graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1929. She attended the University of Texas, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and the Reagan Literary Society. She was elected to Omicron Nu, the honorary home economics organization, and graduated in June, 1933, with a B.S. in Home Economics. After graduation, she taught Home Economics at Alamo Heights Junior High School in San Antonio for one year, then returned to Austin to teach at Austin High. She served as a sponsor of the Red Jackets and designed the military-style uniform that the group wore until they stopped marching and started dancing. She married Harry Lee Peterson, Jr., on June 27, 1936, and helped him establish Hillcrest Farms Dairy. They had two daughters, Anne Peterson Donovan and Claire Peterson Caudill. Anna Faye was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association and received her 50-, 65-, and 75-year pins. She started collecting antique dolls in the mid-1940s, encouraged by Willie Hunter (Mrs. Hal) Armstrong. An avid doll collector most of her life, she was a member of the Austin Doll Study Club. She was a life-long member of First United Methodist Church; a member of the Settlement Club, which she joined in 1948; and has also belonged to the Austin Woman's Club and the Austin Art League II. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 61 years, Harry. She is survived by her daughters, Anne and Claire, and their husbands, John C. Donovan and John W. Caudill. She has four grandchildren: John P. Donovan and his wife, Jacy; Peter L. Donovan and his wife, Abigail; Michael H. Donovan and his wife, Deanna; and Anne Caudill Vidacovich and her husband, Ron. She also has eight great-grandchildren: Harrison, Hudson, and Hayes Donovan; Clara and Helena Donovan; Jane and Harry Donovan; and Nicole Vidacovich. Anna Faye would never allow a guest to leave her home without choosing a cookie from the bottomless tin in her freezer. She enjoyed her dolls, her spectacular azaleas, watching British comedies on PBS, and going out to dinner, almost always picking up the check. But she was most interested in the lives and accomplishments of her daughters and their families, and happiest when surrounded by them. The family wishes to express their appreciation and gratitude to Anna Faye's wonderful caregivers: Gloria Cervantes, Lola Guerra, Summer Hernandez, Sandra Khan, Annalee Litchfield, and Shannon Wood; to her cardiologist, Dr. Kunjan Bhatt, and her nurse, Debbie Cooper; and to her special friend, Carol Rabel Petersen. Following a private burial, a memorial service will be held at Tarrytown United Methodist Church on Saturday, January 13, at 1:00p.m. Serving as pallbearers will be John C. Donovan, John W. Caudill, John P. Donovan, Peter Donovan, Mike Donovan, Ron Vidacovich, and Rene Cardenas. The soloist will be Deanna Donovan. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Settlement Home for Children, 1600 Payton Gin Road, Austin, Texas 78758-6506; Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78759; or First United Methodist Church, 1200 Lavaca, Austin, Texas 78701. For those desiring, you may also access the online guest registry and obituary at www.wcfish.com.