MOVILLE, Iowa -- Dorothy Estelle Petersen, 85, Moville died Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, in Sioux City after a brief illness.
Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Moville United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ed Frank will officiate. Burial will be in Arlington Township Cemetery, Moville. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., at McCulloch Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home in Moville.
Dorothy was born Aug. 17, 1925, on a farm just north of Moville, the daughter of Howard and Ila (Sherwood) Bleil. She was one of a set of triplets. She was raised on the farm and graduated from Moville High School in 1943. After high school, she attended business school in Sioux City.
On March 2, 1947, she was united in marriage with Norman Petersen. The couple farmed the family farm for 63 years. Dorothy helped with the farming, but the most important part of her life was taking care of her family.
She loved family gatherings. Dorothy also enjoyed gardening, reading, needlework, playing cards, golfing, and in later years she and Norman took up square dancing and ballroom dancing. She was a longtime active member of the Moville United Methodist Church. She was proud of her 50 year membership in the Moville Legion Auxiliary.
She is survived by her husband, Norman of Sioux City; her daughter and husband, Nancy and Dennis Ferdig of Moville; two sons and their wives, John and Marilyn Petersen of Columbus, Neb., and Gregg and Darla Petersen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; five grandchildren, Jackie and Mike Nickolaus, Amy and Mark Vance, Jessie and Chris Mulligan, Matt Anderson, and Andy Petersen; seven great-grandchildren; three brothers and one sister, Robert and Evie Bleil of Kingsley, Iowa, Donald and Beverly Bleil of Kingsley, Darlene and Bob Davis of Moville, Jim and Donna Bleil of Moville; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents.