CNorma Jean (Lowry) Petersen
(June 20, 1939 - September 9, 2021)

Norma Jean "Sis" Petersen, 82, of Lake City, FL (formerly Dixon, IL) passed away on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at Lake City Medical Center in Lake City, FL after a brief COVID related illness.

Norma was born on June 20, 1939 in Dixon, IL the daughter of Scott DeForest and Rose (Greene) Lowry. She married Neil Carl Petersen on November 4, 1961 in Grand Detour, IL and celebrated over 55 years of marriage until his death in December of 2016.

She is survived by: one son Jeffery A. (Wendy) Petersen of Lake City, FL; two daughters Jeanine M. (Richard) Pitman of Dixon and Jodi L. (Michael) Cannon of St. Louis, MO; two sisters Vivian Shinn and Pauline (Orlie) Harrington; three brothers Sonny (Nancy) Lowry, Robert "Roddy" (Pat) Lowry and Kenny (Debbie) Lowry; brother-in-law Lynn (Deb) Petersen; eight grandchildren Desiree (Brooke) Sites, Nathanael Petersen, Korin (Andrew) Lange, Preston (Hannah Busche) Petersen, Hannah (Joseph Taylor) Petersen, Melea (Christian) Lynn, Kirsten (Travis Huttner) Pitman and Kaitlynne (Tyler Jandron) Pitman; seven great grandchildren, Elexia Sites, Lillian Sites, Emma Petersen, Abby Petersen, John Petersen, Walter Lange and Eleanor Lange; and many nieces and nephews.

Norma was preceded in death by her husband Neil, her parents Scott DeForest and Rose, six sisters Alice Rottke, Margie Rutherford, Marion Pekel, Betty Stone, Judy Brandt and Shirley Haas and one brother Gary Lowry.

After returning from a year in Sarasota, FL to graduate from Dixon High School, Norma worked at Klines Department Store before becoming a full time mother to Jeff, Jeanine and Jodi. Later, she joined the Dixon School District as a cafeteria aide/custodian to have a positive impact on the lives of many more children beyond her own.

Neil was her soul mate and together were a true team. A recent post from Norma provides a great summary of their life together. "When we get to the end of our lives together, the house we had, the cars we drove, the things we possessed won't matter. What will matter is that I had you and you had me." Their home away from home in Kauai will always be a special place for their ohana (Hawaiian for family). A hui hou kakou (until we meet again).

Always compassionate, passionate and protective, she loved her country and her family which meant everything to Norma. Besides being the support and number one fan of all activities of her children, she also enjoyed all the family focused events and celebrations. If you wanted to know what was going in the family, you called Sis. She loved her horses and the many trail rides with family and great friends made along the way. Like Neil, she truly believed in paying it forward, being kind-hearted and being nice and respectful to one another. "Sweet" and "special" are two descriptions of Norma heard frequently especially in her last days – from all the teary-eyed nurses who cared for her to the many friends and family offering support.

A celebration of life is being planned for the spring/early summer in Grand Detour. Cremation rites were accorded and completed by Gateway Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Lake City, FL.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts to the Hope for the Warriors charity in which over 90% of every dollar raised goes directly to programs and services providing assistance to combat wounded service members, their families and the families of those killed in action. She truly loved her family and her country!