Lori Shook Peterson

January 15, 1960 – April 18, 2018

Lori Shook Peterson, 58 passed away on April 18, 2018 in a tragic traffic accident in Fremont, California.

Lori Ann Shook was born January 15, 1960 in Guthrie Center, Iowa to Carl and Lennie (Fisher) Shook. She was raised on the family farm east of Panora, Iowa with her older brother, Darrell and her two older sisters, Kathleen and Joyce. She spent her summers on the farm walking beans and making strawberry jam with strawberries from the garden.

Lori was very active in her church, community, and school while growing up. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Panora, where she was baptized and served as a leader of the youth group. Lori also performed with the Lennon Mill Players, appearing in several local productions. And while attending Panora-Linden High School she was very involved in newspaper staff, annual staff, flag girls, choir, glee, thespians, FHA, and medical careers club. She graduated from P-L with the Class of ’78.

After graduating from high school, Lori enrolled in the Pre-Nursing program at Iowa State University, where she met her future husband, Craig Peterson. Anxious to begin her nursing career, she transferred to Des Moines Area Community College, Boone Campus to complete her studies, graduating in 1981 with her older sister Kathi.

On August 15, 1981 Lori and Craig were married in a beautiful ceremony in the First Christian Church in Panora, followed by a whirlwind honeymoon in the Black Hills. Upon returning from their honeymoon the newlyweds moved to Ames, Iowa where Lori began her nursing career in the Med-Surg unit at Mary Greeley Medical Center, while Craig attended graduate school at ISU.

In the spring of 1984 Lori and Craig welcomed their first child, Benjamin into the world and Craig finally graduated from ISU. After graduation the young family moved to Santa Clara, California to begin their life’s adventure together.

Lori began her California nursing career at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara in the fall of 1984. She started in the 6EB Med-Surg unit, specializing in surgical and oncology patients utilizing the special skills she had learned in Iowa. She soon became involved in multiple committees and special task teams, as usual.

After welcoming their second child, Emma into the family in 1987, Lori transferred to the Outpatient Hematology-Oncology Clinic and Infusion Center so that she could spend weekends with her family. Her special skills and talents were quickly recognized and she was promoted to Charge Nurse for the unit and was awarded Nurse of the Year for Santa Clara.

In 2005 Lori became the manager of the Hem-Onc Clinic and Infusion Center when Kaiser moved into the new medical complex in Santa Clara. Lori did so well that soon she was also responsible for Pulmonary Clinic, Sleep Clinic, and Injection Clinic bringing her total number of direct reports to 50+, and garnering her multiple Manager of the Year nominations.

Lori completed her 32-year Kaiser career by managing Nephrology, Neurology, Endocrinology, and opening the new Family Medicine Clinic; followed by establishing the Senior Health and Memory Center and managing CCC, SNP, and SNF, before retiring on May 31, 2016.

While Lori loved being a nurse and the challenges of management, she would be quick to tell you that her most important work was raising two fine children and caring for her family. Lori was a human dynamo! She cooked, baked, cleaned, gardened, crocheted, knitted, and painted or stained every surface of her home in Campbell. She was the Team Mom for every Little League Team and Soccer Team that Ben played on for years. She was the Assistant Girl Scout Leader for Emma’s Troop and supported or managed the rehearsal dinners for the many plays that Emma appeared in throughout junior high and high school. And she chaperoned their science camps too! She is everything to her family!

Her passions went beyond her home and immediate family. After knitting blankets and scarves for everyone in her family, including the cats and dogs, she began knitting them for her friends and her children’s friends. But that wasn’t enough. She joined the “Handmade with Love” ladies at Bethel Church so she could make blankets and shawls for hospitals, senior care centers, cancer centers, and more. Always giving, never receiving, quietly in the background.

Lori also loved to read, particularly Debbie Macomber love stories, and to watch mushy Hallmark Channel movies. Romantic on the inside, business on the outside.

But perhaps her biggest passion was traveling with Craig. They traveled all over the world together – Hawai’i Islands; Caribbean Islands; Chicago; Tahitian Islands; Alaska; New Orleans for Mardi Gras; New York City; Mediterranean – Barcelona, Provence, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Mykonos, Istanbul, Athens, Dubrovnik, Venice; British Isles – London, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland; Ireland; Paris; South America – Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina; Australia – Sydney, Great Barrier Reef, Outback; Sweden; Norway, and finally South Africa and Namibia last December. She said that after Africa her travel bucket list was complete, but she had so many places left to explore.

Lori lived her life to the fullest, accomplishing much, sharing much, and loving her family with her whole heart. She will always be in our hearts! We love you Lori!