Dorothy Peterson

Beloved mother, Dorothy Peterson, age 95, of Marshalltown, passed away Wednesday morning May 13th, at the Iowa River Hospice Home in Marshalltown. A private family service is planned to take place at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.  For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown is caring for Dorothy and her family.  Memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice or Alzheimer’s research. Dorothy M. Benson was born March 6, 1925 to Oliver and Elsie (Bender) Benson in Green Mountain.  She was an incredibly talented basketball player, getting pulled to the varsity team in just 8th grade.  She also played the drums in the band.  She graduated from Green Mountain High School in 1943. Dorothy was united in marriage to the love of her life, Donald Peterson on February 3, 1944 in Pueblo, CO.  Together they raised four beautiful daughters.  They were married 67 years before Donald’s passing in 2011. She worked in the credit department at Montgomery Ward for 17 years before working at Dunham Bush, Inc. in the retail & production control office, where she retired in 1991 after 18 years. Dorothy was an avid sports fan – constantly watching ESPN and listening to games on the radio, even simultaneously.  She was a die-hard Hawkeyes basketball fan, and was able to attend her last game in March 2019.  She was also famous for her potato salad.  She would prepare that along with other foods for the Cook Shack for the Tallcorn Trail Riders Horse Group, where she and Donald were active members.  Dorothy was an active member of First Congregational Church.  She loved bowling and was a member of the Strikette League and two Senior Leagues.  She could sew just about anything and without a pattern, even intricate 4H show costumes for her daughters.  Left to cherish her memory are her daughters: Barbara (Tom) Jamison of Johnston, Beverly (Ralph “Butch”) Edwards of Des Moines, Nancy (Randy) Cech of Altoona and Lori (Cliff) March of Marshalltown; her grandchildren: Jill (Lee) Van Cleave of Marshalltown, Julie (Shawn) Hugen of Marshalltown, Corey (Dee) Cech of Altoona, Amanda (Jeremy) Koeppen of Ankeny, Tracey (Andrew Peacock) Cech of Des Moines, Emily Jamison of West Des Moines, Logan March of Iowa City and Lauren (Ben) Foust of Raleigh, NC; great-grandchildren: Makayla, Madison, Aidan, Chloe, Connor, Hallie, Hannah, Kyle, Kadie, Owen, Clark, Charlotte, and Luca and many nieces and nephews. Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband Donald, her parents Oliver and Elsie, and her siblings Carol Rabjohn, Sammy Benson, Mary Kunkel and Ronald Benson.