Our mom, Maudie Beulah Peterson went home to her Lord, on December 6, 2019. Mom was the fourth of eight children born on January 31, 1938 to Lizetta and Lawrence Roy in Vera Cruz, Missouri. Mom lived her 81 years having a strong faith. Her faith is what kept her strong and motivated her to live each day.
Our mom married Gale (Pete) Peterson on June 10, 1956 in Wolf Point, Montana. This union blessed them with three daughters, Terry, Jean, and Brenda. Anyone that knew our mom, knew that her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were her world. She wanted nothing more than happiness for all of them. Mom always said, “any job is a good job as long as one does their best and works hard” and boy, did she work hard. She worked many jobs throughout her lifetime, but her favorite was being our mom, and grandma. Mom had many favorite things, but one of her favorite things was loading up all of her kids and grandkids and taking them to the Roy family reunion in Missouri. She did not miss one from 1979 to 2010. Her other favorite, was waiting for Jerry “son”, as she would call him, to come in the yard once if not several times a day to tend to his horses or tinker on his projects. Mom kept close watch on his water tank during the winter months, and thoroughly enjoyed his presence of just being around the yard on a daily basis.
At the young age of 34 mom became a grandma to the first of seven grandchildren. Besides being a devoted mother to her children, her next most important job was being a grandmother. Mom spent her younger years helping with her granddaughters, and when they became involved in school events, she did not miss one of them. She truly was proud of all of them. Angie and Carrie Sue always knew grandma was in the crowd at everything they did, from elementary school to high school and beyond. She enjoyed all the mail she would receive from Melanie and Melissa over the years, most of which she proudly displayed around her home. She proudly attended the college graduations of all of her grandchildren. She could listen to Austin play his guitar for hours and would brag about him playing for her 80th birthday celebration and recently could be heard telling people about Alex following her family’s footsteps and becoming a teacher.
Her role as a great grandmother was one that she enjoyed to its fullest extent. Mom was active in attending her great grandsons Parker and Preston events. She would brag about Parker making the National Honor Society and was looking forward to another season of watching Preston play baseball. Her twin granddaughters, Brenly and Carly, she could sit and watch them play for hours. She loved that they knew exactly where the toys were in the house, and that even the old rickety swing set in her yard they found to be fun. Mom recently loved hearing stories about Eli catching 44 fish. She always remarked at how kind and caring he is. She enjoyed keeping up with Cole and Maya news, always keeping their pictures close by. Mom enjoyed the different personalities each of her grandchildren has and prayed every night for each one.
Mom is survived by her daughter, Terry (Dale) Jarvis, of Missoula, Jeannie (Jerry) Archdale, of Wolf Point, and Brenda (Paul) Schilling of Cut Bank. Her grandchildren, Angie, Carrie Sue (Brock), Melissa, Melanie (Rob), Austin and Alexandra, and her great grandchildren, Parker, Preston, Brenly, Carly, Eli, Cole, and Maya. Also surviving mom are her sisters, Vivian Gerke and Sue (John) Ady, brothers Jerry (Marianne) Roy, Harold Roy, and Larry (Kathy) Roy, brother in law David Tollefson and many nieces and nephews who she loved dearly. Mom also had dear friends whom she adored, Lucille Solheim, Donna Mann, Elsie Hanson, Gayle Scott, Kermit and Mary Smith, and Gus and David Matejovsky.
Mom is preceded in death by our dad, Pete, her parents Lawrence and Lizetta Roy, her father in law Percy Peterson and Ellen Peterson, and granddaughter Tera Lynn Archdale. She is also preceded in death by her brothers. Elmer Roy, Darrell Roy, and Mike Roy.
Mom, we hear you loud and clear. We have to make it. We always have and always will. Every phone call with mom ended with mom saying “you know where I will be if you need me.” We will need you mom and know you will be with us every day. Until we meet again, we love you, and tell dad and Tera, we love them.