Carolyn Edith Peterson's Obituary
Carolyn Peterson journeyed through a life with many surprises she did not see coming. She was born on August 12, 1932, to Carl and Edith Friske, and she lived in the country between the towns of Rockford and Sparta, Michigan. Since she was born during the Great Depression, she remembers her mother giving her one section of an orange per day to keep her healthy. She couldn’t have a full orange because of the hard times. But even though the economy did not leave her feeling full, she remembered her childhood being full in other ways.
She enjoyed life with her parents, her brother Carl, and around 30 first cousins whose ancestors had all come from Sweden. She walked two miles to school each day with Carl watching over her since he was five years older than her. Many of her family members went to Algoma Baptist Church in Rockford. The church was the most important part of Carolyn’s life. She received Jesus as her Savior in junior high school, and she got baptized in the baptismal painted by her grandfather.
After she graduated from high school, Carolyn had the surprising opportunity to go to college in Minnesota. She went to Bethel College, a school affiliated with her church, in Minnesota for two years. After three more years of education, she graduated from the Mounds Midway School of nursing in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After nursing school, Carolyn worked for three years at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Then she shifted into public health with the Kent County Health Department in Michigan where she specialized in chronic diseases. Much of her work involved working with the public health issue of alcoholism. After she worked for a few years in public health, the state of Michigan provided a scholarship so that Carolyn went back to school and got a master’s degree in public health at the University of Minnesota.
Because of her work with alcoholism, Carolyn went for a 3-week class on this public health issue at Rutgers University in New Jersey in the late 1960s. While she was in New Jersey, Carolyn spent a weekend with her cousin Lee and Lee’s husband Paul and their three sons. She remembered how beautiful their voices sounded together at church that Sunday. And she remembered that Paul had a nice smile. She did not know it that weekend, but she would get to know Paul much better in just a few years. A surprise was coming!
After Lee died in April 1973, Carolyn saw Paul again on the beach at Pentwater Beach in Michigan during that summer. Paul had been looking for her. Later, Paul and Carolyn went to a play together in Grand Rapids. Carolyn then visited Paul in Fairfield, Connecticut, in early 1974 at his home. And on May 18, 1974, Paul and Carolyn married at Algoma Baptist Church in Rockford. Carolyn was surprised to be married at the age of 41 and to become the instant mother to Paul’s three boys: David, Glenn and Craig.
Carolyn believed that the best years of her life were spent with Paul and serving together with him at Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Connecticut. Paul taught a seekers Sunday School class at the church in which many people put their faith in Christ. And Carolyn hosted many people from the church in their home. She loved her life of offering hospitality to others.
Carolyn was surprised to find that life with Paul would mean many opportunities to travel. She would travel with Paul on business for many of his conventions across America. Later, after Paul retired, Paul and Carolyn were able to travel together all around Europe and Scandinavia. She got to see her beloved Sweden five times together with Paul.
Through some friends at Black Rock Congregational Church, Paul and Carolyn heard about Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, Florida. Paul and Carolyn moved to Shell Point in 2001 after selling their home in Connecticut. When Carolyn arrived at Shell Point, she continued her life of hospitality and volunteering to help guests and newcomers feel comfortable in this community. She also enjoyed attending Bible studies at Shell Point. And she had the surprising joy of living with other family at Shell Point. Carolyn’s brother Carl and his wife Nell lived at Shell Point. And Carolyn’s brother-in-law Will and his wife Eunice also lived at Shell Point.
Carolyn remained close to her nieces and nephews – Linda, Nancy, Janet, Carol, John and Eric – throughout her life. No matter where life took her, Carolyn always missed her church at Algoma and her family in Michigan.
Carolyn enjoyed almost 50 years of marriage with Paul before he passed away in January 2024. And she was grateful for the love and support of Paul’s three sons after his passing. She did not expect to have children who would love her while she lived and worked in Michigan, but this was one of the many surprises God had in store for her. She thanked God for His faithfulness in all the surprising ways He led her life. Carolyn passed away on May 11, 2026.
In addition to her sisters-in-law and her nieces and nephews and their families, Carolyn is survived by her three sons: David and his wife Linda of Raleigh, North Carolina; Glenn and his wife Wendy of Farmingdale, Maine; and Craig and his wife Laura of Roswell, Georgia. Carolyn is also survived by seven grandchildren: Matthew (and his wife Kaitlin), Daniel, Stephanie, Joshua, Andrew (and his wife Mikayla), Anders, and Mathias.
What’s your fondest memory of Carolyn?
What’s a lesson you learned from Carolyn?
Share a story where Carolyn's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Carolyn you’ll never forget.
How did Carolyn make you smile?