Myrna Lauree Peters
December 21, 1939 — August 10, 2015
Myrna Lauree Peters was born on December 21, 1939 to Vernon and Effie (Christensen) Rold at her parent’s home five miles east of Corley, Iowa. She was baptized as Altamont Baptist Church on October 22, 1950 where she remained a lifelong member. She attended elementary school at Rose Hill Monroe Township No. 2 and graduated from Harlan High School with the Class of 1958.
She worked for several years for the Shelby County Social Services office and the Country Treasurer before attending Sioux Falls College in Sioux Falls South Dakota and obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Christian Education in 1964. She taught first grade at the Floyd Valley School Systems in Alton, Iowa for four years before her marriage on June 22, 1968 to Kenneth Peters at Altamont Baptist Church. After their marriage, Myrna continued teaching for another year at Harlan Community Schools, this time as a second grade teacher.
She left her teaching career to become a full-time farmer’s wife, helping with the field work whenever her husband needed her. She raised many vegetables in her garden and canned many quarts for use throughout the winter.
Myrna enjoyed framing her cross stitching and won division ribbons at the Shelby County Fair with some of her projects. She also enjoyed collecting Precious Moments figurines, sewing clothes for two of her nieces, and specialized in baking brownies, pumpkin bars, and other tasty goodies.
She attended her niece Jennifer’s basketball, volleyball, and softball games, including the state tournaments. She attended Harlan football games to listen to her nephew Chris perform with the band during the halftime show.
Myrna played piano for church and vacation bible school for nearly fifty years. In all that time, she missed very few services. Besides playing piano for bible school, she was very active in the organizing and teaching aspect, including going door to door to invite the children to attend. She and her husband were BYF sponsors for many years and she was an inspiration to the Schneider children who lived across the road as well as an adopted grandmother for one of the church youth. She was very active in the Women’s Mission Society at both local and regional levels and held various offices at the regional level.
She was on the Care Review Committee at Elm Crest for many years, attending meetings at all hours. It was on the way to one of these meetings that Myrna hit a deer and acquired the nickname “Deer Slayer”.
Myrna kept too busy with church and family activities to even consider retirement. She stayed active until December of 2014 when she became a resident of Elm Crest Retirement Community because of her health. It was there that she died on Monday, August 10, 2015 at the age of seventy-five years, seven months, and twenty days. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Ellen Whitaker, and brother Howard Rold.
She is survived by her husband of forty-seven years, Kenneth Peters of Walnut, Iowa; sister Ardella Rold of Harlan, Iowa; sister-in-law Rose Ann and her husband Bryant Witherspoon of Hernando, Mississippi; brother-in-law Carl and his wife Judy Peters of Harlan; nieces: Julie and her husband Dr. Joseph Gunn of Kingsport, Tennessee, Kristi Peters, PhD of Titusville, Pennsylvania, and Jennifer and her husband Cory Sornson of Independence, Iowa; nephews Chris Whitaker of Carroll, Iowa and Robert Witherspoon and his wife Tracey of Tullahoma, Tennessee; great-nieces: Laura Nunley, Sarah Stricklin, Rachel Witherspoon, Karen Sornson, and Rachel Sornson; great-nephew Conner Gunn; other family members and many friends.
She worked for several years for the Shelby County Social Services office and the Country Treasurer before attending Sioux Falls College in Sioux Falls South Dakota and obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Christian Education in 1964. She taught first grade at the Floyd Valley School Systems in Alton, Iowa for four years before her marriage on June 22, 1968 to Kenneth Peters at Altamont Baptist Church. After their marriage, Myrna continued teaching for another year at Harlan Community Schools, this time as a second grade teacher.
She left her teaching career to become a full-time farmer’s wife, helping with the field work whenever her husband needed her. She raised many vegetables in her garden and canned many quarts for use throughout the winter.
Myrna enjoyed framing her cross stitching and won division ribbons at the Shelby County Fair with some of her projects. She also enjoyed collecting Precious Moments figurines, sewing clothes for two of her nieces, and specialized in baking brownies, pumpkin bars, and other tasty goodies.
She attended her niece Jennifer’s basketball, volleyball, and softball games, including the state tournaments. She attended Harlan football games to listen to her nephew Chris perform with the band during the halftime show.
Myrna played piano for church and vacation bible school for nearly fifty years. In all that time, she missed very few services. Besides playing piano for bible school, she was very active in the organizing and teaching aspect, including going door to door to invite the children to attend. She and her husband were BYF sponsors for many years and she was an inspiration to the Schneider children who lived across the road as well as an adopted grandmother for one of the church youth. She was very active in the Women’s Mission Society at both local and regional levels and held various offices at the regional level.
She was on the Care Review Committee at Elm Crest for many years, attending meetings at all hours. It was on the way to one of these meetings that Myrna hit a deer and acquired the nickname “Deer Slayer”.
Myrna kept too busy with church and family activities to even consider retirement. She stayed active until December of 2014 when she became a resident of Elm Crest Retirement Community because of her health. It was there that she died on Monday, August 10, 2015 at the age of seventy-five years, seven months, and twenty days. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Ellen Whitaker, and brother Howard Rold.
She is survived by her husband of forty-seven years, Kenneth Peters of Walnut, Iowa; sister Ardella Rold of Harlan, Iowa; sister-in-law Rose Ann and her husband Bryant Witherspoon of Hernando, Mississippi; brother-in-law Carl and his wife Judy Peters of Harlan; nieces: Julie and her husband Dr. Joseph Gunn of Kingsport, Tennessee, Kristi Peters, PhD of Titusville, Pennsylvania, and Jennifer and her husband Cory Sornson of Independence, Iowa; nephews Chris Whitaker of Carroll, Iowa and Robert Witherspoon and his wife Tracey of Tullahoma, Tennessee; great-nieces: Laura Nunley, Sarah Stricklin, Rachel Witherspoon, Karen Sornson, and Rachel Sornson; great-nephew Conner Gunn; other family members and many friends.
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