Susan "Sue" Peterson

Susan (Sue) Jean Peterson, age 76 of Kansas City, MO and formerly of Marshalltown, IA passed away on July 18, 2024, at Avenue 81 Memory Care in Overland Park, KS. Sue struggled with Alzheimer’s for many years and is finally at peace.

Per Sue’s wishes, cremation rites have been accorded. Also per her wishes, a private celebration of her life will be held by Ron and her children and grandchildren. Her remains will be interred in Marshalltown, IA at a date to be determined this Fall.

Sue was the daughter of Carlton and Ruth Ann (Shaw) Mueller. She was born on December 26, 1947, in Marshalltown, IA and attended Marshalltown schools graduating in 1966. She attended The University of Iowa to study Nursing, earning her BSN in 1970. She married her high school sweetheart, Ron Peterson, on June 29, 1968, making their first home in Iowa City. They eventually returned to Marshalltown after college and Ron’s military duty, welcoming daughters, Megan in Germany and Abbey in Marshalltown.

In the years from 1976 to 1985, they lived in Spirit Lake, Iowa and Plano, Texas before returning to Marshalltown, where they lived on Elmwood Drive (Sue’s childhood home built by Carlton) and Vermillion Lane and enjoyed many happy years with family and friends. Sue was a caring nurse, coworker, and advocate for women at Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center, Planned Parenthood of Spirit Lake, Plano General Hospital, Central Iowa Family Planning Clinic and finally McFarland Clinic before retiring in 2004.

Sue enjoyed playing golf, bowling, playing bridge, dancing and listening to the oldies, and spending time with family. She was beautiful, smart, stubborn at times, and a strong competitor. During her childhood she enjoyed family trips to Dubuque and Chicago, the farm in Bethany, cabin at Table Rock Lake, and to Lake Okoboji for Carlton’s Builder Association conferences, the latter two which carried onto to her own family including their time living in Spirit Lake. As an adult memorable times were spent on Mueller family ski trips and reunions, Mueller and Peterson holiday and family gatherings, and golf trips with dear friends – all of which always included playing cards.

She had a soft spot for animals, taking in a stray pregnant cat who along with one of the kittens became family pets, and her beloved cocker spaniel Mandy.

She and Ron worked hard and valued education and encouraged their daughters to do the same, especially pursuing sports, activities and careers that were not available to her growing up.

Throughout the various moves, Sue made sure each home was welcoming and tidy. Her family and friends rearranged knick knacks to see if she would notice (she always did) and joked that the wastebaskets rarely contained any trash. She made dinner so her picky family could eat together most every night. She made everyone’s favorites like chicken enchiladas and Chex mix, and during summers she was known to just eat fresh Iowa corn on the cob and tomatoes for dinner.

Sue and Ron moved to Kansas City in 2004 to be near their two daughters and families with six grandchildren, who affectionately called her Grammy and enjoyed her feistiness and humor. Some of her happiest times were when her grandchildren were born, and like Ron, she loved going to their school events and activities. As she spent more time at home, she became a dedicated Royals fan and rarely missed watching a game, along with old movies and shows, with “I Love Lucy” being one of her favorites.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Ron; daughters, Megan Barbre (Paul) of Leawood, KS and Abbey Kurt (Nick) of Shawnee, KS; 6 grandchildren, Livia & Calvin Barbre of Leawood, KS and Lexi, Carly, Avery and Drew Kurt of Shawnee, KS. In addition, Sue is survived by her siblings, Nancy Merryman (Wes) of Cedar Rapids, IA, Linda Kvidera (Dennis) of Seattle, WA, Richard Mueller (Laurie) of Valparaiso, IN and Debra (Jack) of Cedar Falls, IA. Sue was preceded in death by her parents; in-laws, Thomas and Mildred; brothers-in-law, Dale Peterson, Virgil Peterson and Darrel Peterson; and sister-in-law, Jean Marino and her husband, Harold.

The family would like to thank her caregivers and hospice nurses at Avenue 81, especially Candy, Amir, and Elizabeth. For those who would like to make a memorial contribution, the family requests contributions be forwarded to the family made payable to the Alzheimer’s Association.