Marilyn Lee (Smith) Peterson

Marilyn Peterson, affectionately known as ""Miss Marilyn"" died on September 19, 2015 with her lipstick on, in her Michigan Center home after a lengthy illness, with her family and her best friend Joey (a Yorkie) at her side. She was an independent, opinionated, spunky woman whose motto was: ""Dull Women Have Immaculate Homes."" She had a special place in her heart for crying children and lost animalsa?""carrying candy in her purse for kids and always trying to help animals. For her children's friends and neighborhood kids, she became a second mother, giving out advice along with her signature grilled cheese sandwiches. Marilyn loved driving and was the subject of a published short-story ""Queen of the Road."" She was the first woman in her neighborhood who learned to drive in the early 50s when most women did not drive cars. She was proud of the fact that she had never had a traffic violation and she abhorred bad drivers, calling them ""rum-heads"" if they got in her way. She enjoyed RV traveling, looking for morel mushrooms, fishing, and she could work circles around her kids. Her roast beef dinners with mashed potatoes (the milk and butter had to be warmed first and then whipped in) and gravy were most memorable, although, her favorite summer snack was a garden fresh tomato on white bread sandwich. Family holiday dinners were always a treat, but once she forgot to remove the packet of giblets from the turkey. One of her more exotic dishes she made was egg fu yung which she made special for her son, but everyone loved it! Marilyn was a stylish dresser and a frugal shopper. She instilled a sense of fashion in her daughters who loved to shop with her. Being a natural beauty, she only needed her lipstick and she was good to go. Later in life, as she became less active she watched ""educational shows"" like Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, always putting in her two cents of advice. She also liked to go to the casinos with her sons-in-law, hoping for a big-win, wearing a glittered shirt that said: ""If there aren't any casinos in heaven then I'm not going."" Marilyn is survived by four children (each thought they were her favorite); Sandra (William) Gayk, Dale (Dave) Welihan, Suzanne (Doug) Fox, and Craig (Renee) Peterson, four grandchildren she loved dearly; Shannon Lovorn, Jayson Welihan, Zachary Gayk, and Leah Peterson, two great grandchildren she treasured, Zoey and Rollins Lovorn and her dear sister Myone Frantz. She was preceded in death by her husband Ralph ""Pete"" Peterson in 2011, her parents Neata Irene (Wenzel) and Glen B. Smith, and her brother Eldon Smith. Visitation will be held on September 28, 5-8 p.m. and the funeral will be on September 29, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the Nichols Arthur Funeral Home in Michigan Center. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Cascades Humane Society or the AWARE Shelter of Jackson. The family would also like to thank her caregiver, Tammy Harmon and the staff of Allegiance Hospice.

Marilyn Lee (Smith) Peterson

June 27, 1927 - September 19, 2015