Dorothy M. Peterson

Dorothy M. Peterson of Woodinville passed away September 9, holding the hand of her beloved husband of 66 years, Emmett. Dorothy was born in Mantador, ND January 5, 1923 to Ella and Theodore Krause. She was one of 11 children born to this family whose ancestors immigrated from Germany to farm in North Dakota a generation before. Dorothy was the second of five daughters and spent her early years caring for siblings, doing farm chores and attending school in a one room school house, walking three miles each way, even in the fierce North Dakota winters. In 1942, she followed her older sister to Seattle to begin a new life. One night at a house party, she was sitting alone when a handsome young Coast Guardsman entered the room. As Emmett said, "When I saw her, it took me five seconds to fall in love. She was just beautiful!" Two weeks later, Emmett asked her to marry him and they wed in a West Seattle chapel on May 21, 1943. Thus began a lifetime of shared enterprise. Dorothy went to work for Boeing during WWII, running a crew of the famed riveters. After his discharge, Emmett, "Pete," began the first of several prosperous businesses, including the first ever mobile hardware supply, the first prefabricated structures built in the Northwest, the first prefabricated camps shipped to Alaska, and the formation of Olympic Prefabricators, to which he and Dorothy devoted 35 years of their stewardship. They began raising a family, which grew to seven children. They moved from Seattle's Greenlake area in 1958 to settle on Maltby Road in Woodinville where they lived for 23 years. They have been 51 year residents of the Bothell/Woodinville area, living also on the Sammamish River, their 12 acre ranch on Brickyard Road, and finally, on Hollywood Hill. Dorothy tended to her family and became an expert in her favorite hobbies, bowling, bridge and blackjack. Always a savvy game player, she was respected for her talents and drew followers who hoped to acquire her winning ways. When retirement afforded Dorothy and Pete more time, they purchased land at Soap Lake, WA and raised hay and cattle. Never ones to be without an enterprise, they began to race and breed thoroughbreds under the purple and white colors of SL-40 Ranch, at one time managing a stable of 40 horses. They enjoyed many joyous celebrations in the winner's circles of Longacres and Arizona's Turf Paradise as well as tracks throughout the Northwest and California. When they retired from racing, they continued to seek out ranch life, buying acreage in Moses Coulee in eastern Washington where they raised cattle and relished the spectacular coulee setting. Dorothy and Pete were travelers of the highways, in a wide circle of the Western U.S. Regular North Dakota reunions, treks to a winter home in Phoenix to follow their horses, side trips to Reno and Laughlin to enjoy the casinos, family road trips around Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and Montana, and travels to Soap Lake and Moses Coulee have added up to thousands of miles spent companionably side by side.

Through all of these experiences, the heart of the matter was family and friends. Dorothy was a loving and devoted mother to seven, grandmother to 14, and great grandmother to seven. She was at the center of every event, gathering everyone in as she and Pete created a story of self-made success. Every aspect of their lives had family and friends involved, from business to road trips to race days to ranching. Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries, race victories and round ups were cause for celebratory gathering, and all were drawn like magnets to her warmth (and her legendary potato salad). Always glamorous, always charming and witty, she collected friends wherever she went. At Longacres and Tulalip, a table was always reserved for her. Even when dementia threatened her sharp mind, she kept her wit and smile, sharing her happy nature to her last days.

Dorothy is survived by her husband Emmett, her sisters and brothers Lucille Kruchek, Carol Jean Bohlken, LaVelle Odegard, Alfred, Vernon, Spud and Kenny Krause, all of North Dakota; her children: Jackie Buroker of Bellevue, Robert (Timmie) Peterson of Seattle, Jan Culpepper (Steve Paulson) of Woodinville, Barbara (Steve) Lindjord of Woodinville, Doug (Jean) Peterson of Woodinville, Don Peterson of Seattle, and Ron (Karla) Peterson of Moses Coulee. Grandchildren are John and Tom Buroker, Andrew and Shanley Peterson, Caser, Shaker and Jeff Culpepper, Suzanne Hart, Jackie Young, Sharman Sosa, Elliot and Henry Peterson, Holly Kohnke and Katie Marden, as well as their spouses, numerous step grandchildren, and Dorothy's seven great grandchildren. Dorothy leaves a number of loved brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and cousins in many states. She was preceded in death by her brothers Willard and Don and sister Loretta Dable. Truly, the heart of the matter was family, and her departure breaks our heart. We are blessed to have shared her life for so many years. The family would like to thank the special caregivers and Hospice for the loving care and kindness extended to Dorothy in recent weeks.