JoAnne Dolores Evansen Peterson

Our mother transitioned peacefully to what she had called "her next adventure" on October 1st, 2022, at the age of 95 years and nine months, in Lee's Summit, MO. Her health had declined rapidly after a recent fall.

She was born on December 27, 1926, in Freeport, IL, to Alfred Norman Evansen and Eva Justina Glomstad Evansen, the second of their five children. She graduated from Sturgeon Bay, WI, High School in 1944.

JoAnne married John "Jack" Leon Peterson, a childhood friend, in 1945. He preceded her in death in 2005. During their nearly 60-year marriage, they lived in 11 states and made friends everywhere they lived. They traveled all over the US, plus the Virgin Islands, Nova Scotia, and Mexico. But for JoAnne, the state of Maine was her "soul home."

JoAnne was predeceased by her sister Jean Evansen Stauber, and her brothers, David and Roderick Evansen. She is survived by her brother, James Evansen, of New Lisbon, WI, as well as her four children: Marta A. Peterson of Norwalk, CT, John R. Peterson (Terri) of Lee's Summit, MO, Daniel B. Peterson (Sherry) of Livingston, TX, and Jennifer E. Peterson Peranteau (Steve) of Poway, CA; six grandchildren: Lisa A. Peterson, Sarah E. Faeth, Shannon M. Peterson, Alexander F. Faeth, Jack T. Daly, Jared "Kai" Daly, five step-grandchildren, Sandi Walsh and Brittian Spurlock, Thomas Williams and Emily Williams, and Sasha Peranteau; as well as eight great-grandchildren.

JoAnne was a life-long learner. She went to secretarial school after High School and began working at the University of Michigan, where she also attended classes. She was certified by the Management Training Institute Executive Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1976. Her last formal educational experience was Outward Bound for Executives in Maine in 1999 (at the age of 72). She dedicated most of her life to non-profit work, starting at The Survey Research Center at UM, UCC Church Secretary and The League of Women Voters in MA, Planned Parenthood (starting in 1968), the Kidney Foundation of Houston, The AIDs Project, and The Maine Women's Fund. She was deeply committed to helping others everywhere.

She was an omnivorous reader, and her bedside table was always piled with books. In retirement, she volunteered at community libraries, took classes in religion and philosophy, and learned to sculpt. Full of style, grace, and genuine curiosity, she made friends everywhere she went. JoAnne loved talking to people, walks with her dog, outings with her family, discussions "overhauling the world," Maine lobster, cocktails with friends, watching PBS, and music. She wrote her Christmas lists in shorthand so her kids could not read them, drove automatic cars with two feet, was afraid of horses but fond of cows, loved lilacs and violets (but said she had a "red thumb" in terms of gardening), collected Norwegian trolls, watched Tom and Jerry cartoons, and loved to share family history. One of her childhood homes had a dirt floor a pot-bellied stove, and an outhouse full of spiders. She. Hated. Spiders. Luckily, they had a collie who would go with her to protect her.

JoAnne was also preceded in death by several well-loved dogs, including her last - a beloved white Cockapoo named Happy in 2019.

Hers was a long life - well-loved and lived.

To quote her, "That's all I have to say about that."

Her family would like to thank John Knox Village Care Center and Hospice, Rockhill Orthopedics, and Dr. Kate Twenter for their compassionate, loving care during JoAnne's last couple of years in Missouri. We would also like to thank our family and friends for their support and prayers.

In honor of her memory, please consider donating to John Knox Village Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Doctors Without Borders, or Planned Parenthood.