Suzanne E. Petersen (1946-2020)

PETERSEN

Posted By: Ken Wright
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:30

Suzanne E. Petersen - 74
1/17/1946 - 3/31/2020
Clinton, Iowa
Suzanne E. Petersen, 74, died peacefully Tuesday, March 31,2020, at Eagle Point Nursing Home in Clinton after a four-year battle with dementia. Suzanne was born in Belvidere, IL, on January 17, 1946, to Clarren and Lillian Moore. Suzanne had a true love for beautiful spaces; a love she carried with her throughout her life. After growing up in rural Poplar Grove, IL, Suzanne studied interior design in Chicago and enjoyed working at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. In later years, Suzanne was able to pursue her love for design locally via her employment at the former Jerel Interiors in Lyons and more recently at Petersen Hagge Furniture in Clinton.

Suzanne’s appreciation for beauty manifested itself in many ways throughout her life, whether it was by helping others design their interior spaces, by creating her own sketches and watercolor pieces or by expertly arranging the perfect mix of annuals, perennials and shrubs in her yard. Never content for long, in her presence no shrub was secure in its location, no wall was above being repainted and no piece of furniture was too big to rearrange.

Although Suzanne struggled with depression and anxiety throughout her life, she was most decidedly a colorful, fun-loving, spontaneous soul who never met a sequined shirt, bedazzled handbag or pink flamingo she didn’t adore. She thoroughly enjoyed time spent with her family and friends, whom she cared for deeply, both in word and in action.

And while Suzanne was certainly a loving mother to her daughter Sarah, it was pretty clear that nothing compared to the magnitude of love she harbored for her two grandsons, Owen and Liam. She took her title of Grammy seriously and religiously neglected bedtimes in favor of roasting marshmallows, sacrificed basement windows to indoor tennis matches and replaced vegetables with popcorn, pizza and cereal. Sprinklers meant for her flowers instead created stomp-worthy mud puddles in her yard, and nap schedules were ignored in order to accommodate throwing rocks into the river. Much to her daughter’s chagrin, the word ‘no’ was routinely avoided and was instead replaced with fun activities like creating new smoothie recipes and playing a multitude of board games. In short, she loved “her boys.”

Suzanne had a strong faith and enjoyed attending Second Reformed Church in Fulton, IL, with her family and church family. She was preceded in death, in her immediate family, by her parents and her brother, Robert; and she is survived by her brother Kenneth (Xin) of Janesville, WI, her sister Lois Richmond also of Janesville, WI, her sister Donna (Ron) McDaniel of Sikeston, MO, her daughter Sarah (Marty) Brubaker and her grandsons Owen and Liam all of Fulton, IL, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

As were her wishes, cremation rights will be accorded and a celebration of life will be planned at a later date. If you wish to give in her honor, a memorial has been established to benefit resident enrichment services at Eagle Point Health Care Center in Clinton where Suzanne was cared for by a kind and loving staff, who quickly became like an extended family these past four years. These people do the hard work, and we can’t thank them enough?

As were her wishes, cremation rights will be accorded and a celebration of life will be planned at a later date. If you wish to give in her honor, a memorial has been established to benefit resident enrichment services at Eagle Point Health Care Center in Clinton where Suzanne was cared for by a kind and loving staff, who quickly became like an extended family these past four years. These people do the hard work, and we can’t thank them enough.