Faynette Arlene (Hawkins) Peterson, age 91, passed away peacefully Friday, January 10, 2020 at Park Vista-The Legacy, Waupaca, in the company of her daughter Susan and dear cousin Kathy Rasmussen Bauer and her husband Pat.

Arlene was born on May 17, 1928 in Fond du Lac, WI, attended Gards Corner School and graduated from Waupaca High School. She married Gary R. Peterson on June 22, 1947 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Waupaca. She worked most of her career for Zwicker Knitting Mill in Waupaca, going from production worker to management, opening new plants in Haiti and Barbados, to plant manager. Upon retirement she and Gary enjoyed their days providing day care for their ‘pride and joy’, their two grandchildren, Teddy and Hannah. She never wasted an opportunity to share a picture or to brag about their accomplishments. She was a charter member of Trinity Lutheran Church and a founding member of Couples Club, chairing their pancake supper for years, proceeds from which bought Bibles for 3rd graders at Trinity. She took great joy in handing out the Bibles each year, especially to her two grandchildren. She loved getting the first potato pancake of the night. She was a member of the VFW and American Legion Auxiliaries of King, putting in countless hours of volunteer time at the Wisconsin Veterans Home. She was also a member of the Waupaca Lioness and the Guard Widows, a group of women whose spouses were members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard unit in Waupaca. Though many of their activities were social, they volunteered yearly to answer phones in Waupaca for the United Cerebral Palsy Telethon in Green Bay. This was a weekend to which she looked forward, manning the phones day and night, as well as influencing her daughter’s teaching career in Special Education. Arlene’s greatest joy was her family, especially her grandchildren, and spending time together at their cabin in Bayfield Co. on the Pike Lake Chain. She enjoyed knitting and crocheting, making countless baby sweaters and booties for layettes sent to missions. She loved reading mysteries and watching Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote and Johnny Carson, all other shows paled in comparison. She believed there hadn’t been better singers since Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. She was proud of her Danish heritage and loved making Danish foods and Christmas treats she learned from her grandmother. She was a stronger woman than she saw herself to be, who never saw religion, race or orientation in dealing with or loving people. She set a quiet example of acceptance through her actions.

Arlene was preceded in death by her mother, Agnes (Rasmussen) Dagnan and stepfather, William Dagnan; her brother Donald Hawkins; and her husband of 59 years, Gary R. Peterson. She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Atty. Thomas) Johnson, Waupaca; grandson, Theodore Johnson, student at Northern Illinois University School of Law, Dekalb, IL; granddaughter, Hannah Johnson, an Athletic Trainer in Atlanta, GA; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be held Friday, January 17 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Waupaca, with Pastor Andy Behrendt officiating. Burial will be in the Central Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be on the evening of Thursday, January 16, from 4-6 at Holly Funeral Home in Waupaca and Friday morning from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the church.

Her family extends a heartfelt thank you for the kind care given Arlene from the staffs at Park Vista and Park Vista-The Legacy as well as the nurses of ThedaCare Hospice. Your kindness and caring are beyond description, you are angels on earth. Pastor Andy, we have greatly appreciated your constant prayers, support and visits through this journey.