Esther Peterson

Esther L. Peterson, 92 passed away at Powell Valley Healthcare in Powell, Wyoming on October 30, 2015. Esther was born on her mother's birthday, February 14, 1923 to Conrad and Mary (Kolb) Lebsack. She lived in Lincoln for her first 8 years, until the family moved to the area around Torrington, Wyoming. She lived there until she finished her schooling. Once grown, Esther moved to Cheyenne with her sister, Marie, and worked at the Warren Air Force Base during World War II. She then moved to San Francisco and worked at an import store in Union Square. While visiting her sister, Florence Smith, she met the love of her life, Gerald Peterson, while helping out at a potato cellar in Albin, Wyoming. They were married later that summer on August 15, 1948, in Cheyenne. After Gerald finished his college degree and student teaching, they moved to Cheyenne where Esther worked at Safeway before starting a family. In 1967, the family moved to Albin, Wyoming. Esther would live there for 20 years, raising her family and working on the family farm, until the death of her husband in 1987. Upon retirement, she lived in Carpenter, Pine Bluffs, Guernsey, and Cheyenne. In 2012, she moved to Powell, Wyoming to be closer to her daughter Sherri, where she remained until her death. Esther is survived by three children: Randy and Donna Peterson of Guernsey, Wyoming, Kevin Peterson of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Sherri and Brent Rageth of Byron, Wyoming. She is also survived by three sisters; Florence (Don) Smith of Pine Bluffs, Laverne Ahlbrandt of Columbus, Nebraska, and Shirley (Walter) Quigley of Scottsdale, Arizona; eight grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Gerald Peterson, and her son, Carey Peterson. Esther was also preceded in death by four sisters: Marie (Liz) Daigh, Amelia Lebsack, Lorraine Schlager, Lydia (Peggy) Baker; and three brothers, Conrad (Emanuel) Lebsack, Leroy Lebsack, and Leonard Lebsack. Esther enjoyed working in her gardens, playing cards, her dogs, dancing, ceramics, Bible studies, and visiting with family and friends. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Cheyenne. Donations can be made in her name to the First Presbyterian Church, Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, or a charity of one's choice. Private family services will be held.