Harriet Elizabeth Petersen

Harriet Elizabeth Connor Petersen passed at her home on January 21st, 2021. She was born October 1,1927 in Atchison, Kansas the youngest of three children to Dr. Sam and Marie Connor. Harriet had a twin, John Edmund Connor, who was stillborn.

Harriet showed her love through loyalty, faithfulness, and steadfastness to her family and friends. She loved God and knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior whom she accepted at age 10. As a child, she was a prolific tree climber and reader. She was active in athletics and discovered her writing talent at a young age. Her friends and family knew her for her poetry. She went on to publish many of her poems with the help of her daughter, distributing the compilation to her many friends and family members. Her poetry was often about her life experiences and her spiritual beliefs. She also crafted personalized poems for family and friends to mark birthdays, weddings, births and other life events.

A member of the Atchison High School class of 1945, Harriet lettered in baseball and played in the school band as a drummer. Harriet went on to Kansas University where she majored in Physical Education. During her three years at University, she worked in the student union as a way to pay her way and in 1948, Harriet came to Colorado to visit her sister, Coral Miller. It was then that she met her future husband whom she married in December 1948. After settling with her husband in Northglenn, Harriet helped to pioneer Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Northglenn High School, and the local Little League Baseball. Harriet returned to the workforce in 1967 at the age of 40, and worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield for 25 years. After Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Harriet took what was to be a temporary part-time job that actually lasted seven years at a greeting card distributor.

She is survived by her sister, Coral Miller, her children Kris Petersen, Stephanie Chychota (Tom), Monica Gilliam (Dan), Nancee Schroeder (Peary), Art Petersen; 7 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her older brother, Paul Connor.

She will be forever in our hearts.