Mae Marie Petersen

Mae Marie Petersen, the daughter of Allen and Annie (Ohms) Ericksen, was born on May 12, 1926, in rural Jacksonville, Iowa. She attended Jackson #2 school and graduated in 1944 from Harlan (Iowa) High School with her Normal Training teaching certificate. She taught for ten years at Jackson #2 and #3, and Polk #8 schools. At Jackson #3, Mae began earning $115 per month. During the 1947-48 school year, she had 18 students in grades K-7 at Jackson #3; this was her largest class.

On June 7, 1954, Mae married Glenn Edwin Petersen at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. The couple farmed north of Jacksonville for many years. Glenn died on February 20, 1990, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mae was a baptized and confirmed member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, where she has served as Council Secretary for three years. She was active with the Church Women and had held various offices within the group. Mae had also been a Sunday School teacher and a Confirmation teacher. She had the honor of being inducted into the Shelby County Fair Hall of Fame in 1995. Mae was a charter member of both the Community Heritage Society in Kimballton, Iowa, and the Nishnabotna Genealogical Society in Harlan. She enjoyed doing family history research for others. She was active in her community and enjoyed volunteering at the Family History Center in the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa. Along with Marlene Hansen, Mae co-authored the Jacksonville History book.

Mae M. Petersen died on Friday, January 5, 2007, at her rural Jacksonville, Iowa, farmhome, which has been in the family for over a century. She had reached the age of 80 years, 7 months, and 24 days.

Mae was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Glenn. She is survived by two sons, Wayne (Lori) Petersen and Carl Petersen, both of Jacksonville, Iowa; one sister, Pola Peters of Shelby, Iowa; three brothers, James (Shirley) Erickson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Paul N. (Pat) Ericksen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Eldon (Sandra) Ericksen of Lewis, Iowa; one granddaughter, Stacie Petersen of Lubbock, Texas; one grandson, Jason Petersen of Jacksonville, Iowa; and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Iowa, with Pastor Ron Rasmussen officiating. Peggy Doonan served as the organist. Casket bearers were Jason Petersen, Neil Ohms, Steve Peters, Mike Erickson, Ken Ericksen, and Marty Ericksen. Burial was in the Jacksonville Cemetery in Jacksonville, Iowa. The Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan was in charge of the arrangements.