Muriel J. Peterson

Muriel J. Peterson of Loveland, Colorado, fortified by the sacraments of the Catholic Church she loved, died on November 27th, 2016, in Greeley, Colorado, after a long and difficult illness. She was born on May 24th, 1932, in Fargo, North Dakota, the daughter of Michael Joseph and Catherine Clare (nee: Coleman) Drury. Muriel graduated from Moorhead High School, Moorhead, Minnesota, with the class of 1950. On a bitterly cold January 6th, 1951, she married Charles C. Peterson at Moorhead, Minnesota. Muriel and Chuck had six children together: Thomas, wife Barbara, of Illinois; Kimberly, husband Philip Vittorio of Illinois; Susan of Rhode Island; David of Colorado; Douglas, wife Kelly, of Georgia; and Mary Claire, who died shortly after birth. Muriel has five grandchildren: Kristie Peterson of California; Lori Peterson and Cherie Peterson of Massachusetts; Kelly Vittorio, husband Dan Piorek, of Illinois; and Lindsay Tasse, husband Louis Tasse, of Rhode Island. She has three great grandchildren: Hailey and Ella Piorek of Illinois, and Athena Conway of Massachusetts. Muriel was an exceptionally capable and avid figure skater, who taught her children to skate soon after they learned to walk. Her last appearance on ice was on the rink in Manhattan's Central Park at the age of 76. Muriel grew up in poverty during the Great Depression so she had to work outside the home at a young age to help support her family. She was determined that her children enjoy the opportunities she never had. Muriel typed her husband's college papers and presentations during the four years he worked nights at the Fargo Forum earning his degree in Industrial Engineering at the North Dakota Agricultural College, while living in a barely heated married student housing Quonset hut in Fargo. That her children earned one doctoral, four masters, and four bachelors degrees and her grandchildren have all earned masters degrees is a testimony to her success. Muriel hated injustice, and expressed that through her resistance to racism by associating with black people in south Georgia in 1951 and 1952, despite threats from the local klan and law enforcement. Muriel also fired a realtor in 1966 for refusing to show her home to "those people." Muriel worked tirelessly as a volunteer at St. Thomas Aquinas parish and Aquin Central Catholic High School, performing as a Boy and Girl Scout leader, lunch room monitor, unpaid physical education teacher and coach, baking for weekly and monthly bake sales, and many other volunteer efforts. Later, when living in Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, she worked as a volunteer with inner city gang kids as part of Youth at Risk. Muriel was an accomplished weaver of baskets and wreaths who sold her crafts and taught classes for almost a half of a century. Muriel traveled widely through 47 states including Alaska, most of the provinces and territories of Canada, Scotland, England, and Italy. When her children were growing up she supervised two week camping trips every summer throughout the states west of the Mississippi. She loved children, flowers, animals, and swing music, jitterbugging into her eighties. She was proud of her Irish heritage and enjoyed everything Irish. Muriel made a home for her family in Moorhead, Minnesota; Valdosta, Georgia; Fargo, North Dakota; Freeport, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; finally retiring to her dream home in Loveland, Colorado. Muriel is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Charles, of Loveland, Colorado; five of her children, five grandchildren, three great grandchildren, one sister, Kathleen Tweiten of North Dakota and one brother, Thomas Drury of New Mexico, as well as many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Friday January 6, 2017 on what would have been their 66th anniversary at St. Thomas Catholic Church, Freeport, Il. A visitation will be held at 9:30, a mass at 10:30 and a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers please make donations on Muriel Peterson's behalf to Saint Joseph Indian School Chamberlin, S.D. Please sign Muriel's guestbook and share a memory at www.burketubbs.com.