Ruth Ann Petersen

Petersen, Ruth Ann

Ruth Ann Petersen, age 83, passed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, saw the extraordinary in the ordinary. She was born in Akron, Ohio on Wednesday, September 25, 1935 to Niels Petersen and Ethel (nee Wilson) Petersen. She graduated from West Phoenix High School in Phoenix, Arizona, as a long serving professional in the fields of telephone customer service with American Airlines and telemarketing InfoCision, she knew to answer the higher call when it came.  She was not only interested, she wanted to know more. She left us on Friday, January 11, 2019 at 6:46 p.m. while holding hands with her daughter, Anne Marie (nee Petersen-Ingals) Black.  She didn’t appear to suffer and was comforted by her strong belief in a better life to come.  As we reflect, the suffering is really for those of us left behind.  Ruth Ann has received a new script to follow. This new script offers an opportunity to reunite with many beloved friends and family who went before, to feel young again, to play, to garden, to cook, to read and to enjoy her arts and crafts.  Blessings, love and laughter are her new guarantee.  We are heartbroken for our loss but have great faith that her reality is a better one. She shared many lessons in life with her daughter, son-in-law, her 6 grandchildren and her 3 great-grandchildren.  She was recycling before it was fashionable.  Having spent her formative years in the great depression and WWII, Ruth Ann learned to “reduce, reuse and recycle”.  She found ways to be thrifty and reuse things multiple times. She would find treasure in everyday items that others would toss aside without a thought.  Ruth taught us that everything and everyone is more than a single use disposable. She was also stubborn, which probably helped her succeed in customer service and telemarketing.  When we look at her stubborn streak, we can see that it comes from a place of love. She was stubborn in defending others.  Ruth Ann was stubborn in encouraging her grandchildren to become self-supporting and successful, stubborn in making others accept help when her own resources were meager.  She was particularly stubborn about ensuring her family was both safe and healthy. But wait, there is more… preceding her in death are her parents, Niels and Ethel; aunts, Esther (nee Petersen) Lofberg and Dorothy Wilson (nee Smith); uncles, Ed Loberg and James Wilson; brother, Niels “Bud” Petersen II (Patricia nee Magers). She is survived by her sister, Kathleen “Kathy” (nee Petersen) Andrick (Theodore “Ted”); daughter, Anne Marie (nee Petersen-Ingals) Black (Grant); grandchildren, Benjamin Black, Brittani (nee Black) Petersen, Victoria Black (Nicholas “Nico” Gross), Kiel Black, Hollie Black and Dane Black; great-grandchildren, Ryan Petersen, Daniel Petersen and William Petersen.  She also leaves behind many cherished nieces and nephews, Scott (Jodi), Christian, Devon, Katherine, Jonathan, Laura (Chris), Joanna (Nathan), Annelise, Rachel, Niels III (Ronica “Roni”), Niels IV, Reagan, Matthew (Jill), Kyle and Chase. Ruth Ann was a long-time member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church while living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  She was a long-time member of All Saints Lutheran Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  At All Saints, she was particularly close with her longtime friends in Esther Circle.  She had also been affiliated with Order of the Eastern Star. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 18, 2019,  6:30 p.m. at All Saints Lutheran Church 4800 All Saints Road NW.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to your favorite charity.  Ruth Ann made the world a better place for everyone, we would like to think that giving extends past her life through your gifts to worthy causes.

FRENCH – Westside

9300 Golf Course Rd NW

505-897-0300