Wenonah Ruth Peterson

Wenonah Ruth Peterson, 96, of Great Falls, went to her heavenly home on Thursday, March 5, 2020. A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 9, 2020, at Faith Lutheran Church (1300 Ferguson Drive, Great Falls). Wenonah was born on October 19, 1923, in Helena, Montana to Rev. M. Lyle Halvorsen and Cora (Christianson) Halvorsen. The family moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota where she was raised. Wenonah decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and received an elementary school teaching certificate in Minneapolis. She then moved to Great Falls to pursue her teaching career. She finished her college education at the College of Great Falls and taught kindergarten at Roosevelt, Sunnyside, and Lewis and Clark Elementary Schools for over 26 years. Wenonah met her husband, J. Gordon Peterson, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church where she was teaching her first kindergarten class until the classrooms at Roosevelt School were completed. They were married on December 28, 1951, by Wenonah’s father who was a Lutheran pastor in Minneapolis. They raised four daughters together. She was very active in her church life and began singing in church choirs as a young girl, continuing to sing in the choir until the age of 90. She was a member of the Swinging Seniors singing group which entertains in assisted living facilities. Wenonah was an avid knitter and quilter and enjoyed camping, canoeing, yearly summer vacations to her family cabin on Pike Lake in Wisconsin, winter vacations in Yuma, Arizona in the motorhome, and traveling to see her children and grandchildren. She lived a very full and long life and her family and friends are blessed by and thankful for her presence in their lives. She will be greatly missed. Wenonah is survived by her brother, James (Pat) Halvorsen; daughters, Charlotte (Chuck) Waters, Ramona (Kevin) Devine, Naomi Peterson, and Dorothy LaMere; six grandchildren, Collin (Destiny Schoonover) Devine, Matt Devine, Shawna (Gary) Foulk, Shane (Amanda) Barnett, James (Jessica) LaMere, and Ginnie (Rich) Smith; seven great-grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; nine step-great-grandchildren; and two step-great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; sister, Lillian Baumgaertner; brothers, Harold, Milton and Stephen Halvorsen; and her son-in-law, Toby LaMere. Memorials are suggested to Faith Lutheran Church or a charity of your choice. Condolences for the family may be shared online at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.