With sadness, but gratitude for her beautiful life, we share the passing of Mary Renee Jolley Petersen on September 11, 2024.
She left us while peacefully sleeping, at the age of 90 at her residence at Beacon Crest Senior Living in Draper, Utah.
She was born the 6th of 11 children to Maisel and Mary Jolley on January 24, 1934, in Angle Utah.
Renee often shared her happy memories, painting a vision of what her childhood was like growing up on a farm with 7 sisters and 3 brothers. Their humble home in the little community of Angle, Utah was filled with hard work, integrity, homemaking, music, laughter, mischief, unconditional love, and VERY patient parents.
She met Phil Petersen while working at Carlisle Manufacturing. They would sit together each day for lunch at a small diner next door. He started walking her home from work and soon after they courted for 9 months and married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 11, 1954.
Phil & Renee were blessed with four sons. She is the loving, devoted mother to Don (Leslie), Mark (Shauna), Jeff (Renee), and Todd (Katt). Being a mother to four spirited boys was a role that she fulfilled with honor. Renee strived and succeeded in raising kind, conscientious, and able, hard-working men.
She was not an idle person, and it enriched the lives of all who associated with her. Renee worked as a much-loved lunch lady at the local elementary in Kearns, as well as being a dedicated manager at Beehive Clothing for over 20 years.
With the usual demands that life, work, and family brought, she also served faithfully in many opportunities and capacities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and Phil worked at the Jordan River Temple as ordinance workers, as well as serving nine years together at Temple Square as Ushering Missionaries. However, her favorite place to be and serve was in Relief Society. She treasured the many friendships and connections over all her years participating in The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and Relief Society.
Renee & Phil built a life together that they loved, and their wonderful family grew. She cherished and loved all her family, remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with handwritten cards and thoughtfully selected gifts.
She enjoyed traveling and planning trips with Phil after retirement, and she always anticipated and loved her yearly globe-trotting expeditions with her sisters.
While Phil had a hobby and passion for golfing weekly with his friends, Renee was more than happy to be shopping, playing jaunty tunes on her organ, meeting friends for games, serving, or getting her hair done. Her weekly hair salon appointment with Cheryl was not an appointment on her calendar that could be missed. She was always well presented in her classy outfits and jewelry, but more importantly she presented herself with Christlike poise and actions to match.
We find peace thinking of her joyful reunion with those who preceded her in death; her loving husband Phil, her parents, many siblings and a granddaughter Trina Petersen. She leaves behind four sons and their spouses, 18 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, along with countless individuals who loved her dearly as an angel friend.
Renee's life was a living example of her favorite scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; envieth not; charity is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth!
Her absence leaves a void and a dose of sadness, but that is the price of love, and love is how she will be remembered!
Funeral services to remember and celebrate her life will be held Friday September 20, 2024.
Viewing: 9:30-10:45am
Funeral: 11:00am
Address: 12353 South 600 East
Draper, Utah
Those who wish to livestream the service may do so at the following link: https://draperstake.org/1st/
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
4330 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT 84123

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