Jessie Munk Peterson

Jessie Munk Peterson, 99, formerly of Nampa and Meridian, passed away March 11, 2015 in Albuquerque, NM. Jessie was born September 4, 1915 in Grace, ID and was raised in the Bear Lake Valley. She married Elmer L. Peterson on July 9, 1940 in the Logan, Utah LDS Temple and then lived in the Los Angeles, CA area for ten years. During World War II, she worked as a "Rosie the Riveter" at Lockheed to help the war effort. In 1951, she and Elmer bought a dairy farm on old Highway 30, now Franklin Road, between Nampa and Meridian. She resided there for 37 years, until 1994 - five years after Elmer passed away. She worked a few years as an Ada County Sheriff's deputy and thereafter for Boise Cascade Corp. for 13 years. She lived through the Great Depression, World War I, World War II and the era of technology, adjusting and progressing through every situation. She was a master gardener, and an excellent cook and seamstress. After she turned 78, and for the past 21 years, she has lived with her son in New Mexico and has enjoyed extended stays with her daughter in Virginia. Her incredible energy, her ability to work hard until her late 80's and her ability to drive until age 92 have caused her family to call her the "8th wonder of the world." She is preceded in death by her husband and two great-grandchildren. She is survived by her son, Stephen Peterson (Susan), of Peralta, NM; her daughter, Arlene Chapman (Val), of Virginia, ten grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. She was attentive to all of her grandchildren, always remembering birthdays and special occasions. A graveside service will be held Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Dry Creek Cemetery, 9600 Hill Road, Boise, Idaho. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy of love and service live on in her descendants.