Obituary of Doris W. (Walker) Peterson

Doris Walker Peterson Retired Wolcott High School Nurse Doris Walker Peterson, 89, of Wolcott, CT., North Eastham, MA, and Peabody, MA, died peacefully on June 29, 2011. She was surrounded by her loving family at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. She was the wife of the late Albert Edward Peterson. Doris touched the lives of all who knew her. She loved her family and her many, many friends, and they loved her right back. She told great stories, but she was also a wonderful listener - she just had that knack for making everyone feel good. She added spirit and fun to every occasion, and she was warm and welcoming to all. It is easy to understand why she had so many close friends. Doris was an amazing daughter, wife, mother and grandmother. She was very close to her parents, the late Lena and Burton Walker of Waterbury, CT, and it should be mentioned that she cared for her mother when she was bedridden during her last five years. Her fifty-seven year marriage to Al Peterson was a strong and happy one - he was truly her one and only love. Her children, Carol Cirone of Peabody, MA, and Bob Peterson of Newton, MA, always appreciated the wonderful mother they were blessed with, and her daughter-in-law, Janice Peterson, was lucky enough to enjoy a long and special relationship with her. Her three grandchildren - David Peterson of Cambridge, MA, Eric Cirone of Waltham, MA, and Joanna Peterson of Cambridge, MA, always looked forward to spending time with Grandma, enjoying both her delicious cooking, and the fun she always created. Each one of them benefited from her love and attention, and in recent years, so did Michele Cirone, Eric’s wife. Doris was born in Waterbury, CT. on Dec. 20, 1921. As a young girl, Doris loved camping with the Kingston family every summer, and she enjoyed swimming, diving and gymnastics. She graduated from Waterbury Hospital School of Nursing in 1943, where she made life-long friends who called themselves the “Nurses’ Club,” and who met monthly for food and fun. After meeting Al Peterson on a blind date, they married in November, 1943. Within a couple of years, they settled in Wolcott, CT, in a rural house down the lane from the Peterson’s Farm Dairy. She and Al loved the beautiful country setting of their home, and Doris often told stories of cows peering into her kitchen window during their early years there! Their home, with its expansive, well-tended yard, was a favorite spot for family gatherings and outdoor barbecues with their friends. Doris worked as a school nurse in Wolcott, CT for twenty-five years, primarily at Wolcott H.S. She loved the hustle and bustle of school nursing, and she enjoyed her close relationships with fellow nurses, teachers, administrators and students. She also worked as a nurse in various hospitals and convalescent homes, and her patients always got the best of care. In 1983, Doris and Al retired to North Eastham on Cape Cod, moving into a large, beautiful home that they had designed on the Striper Avenue cul-de-sac. They enjoyed seventeen years there together, tending a large garden, driving down to the beach, going out to daily breakfasts and early dinners, and exploring Cape Cod in their blue van. They enjoyed walking their dogs - Petey, and then Nicky - and they were known by everyone in their neighborhood. Doris looked forward to her weekly BINGO games, and they hosted many a vacation for family and friends. After Al died in August 2000, Doris stayed in her Cape Cod home for six more years, and she truly valued the help and friendship of her Cape Cod friends, who made it possible for her and Nicky to enjoy those extra years on the Cape. In October 2006, Doris re-located to Peabody, MA, purchasing a lovely home with her daughter, Carol. She enjoyed being closer to her family, and once again, her new neighbors enjoyed seeing her walk her dog, Nicky, around the neighborhood. She and Carol together transformed their yard, filling it with beautiful shrubs and trees, and she remained as active as possible, even when faced with serious illnesses. And Nicky remained her constant companion, passing away only three months before Doris. Besides her children and grandchildren, Doris is survived by five nieces and their husbands - Nancy and Alan Lonschein of Palm Harbor, FL, Jean and Frank Kovzelove of Chantilly, VA, Christine and John Phelan of Wolcott, CT, Martha and William Arquett of Norfolk,CT, and Diane Erb of Keene, NH. She was preceded in death by a beloved infant son Frederick Albert Peterson, her brother Donald Walker, her dear sister-in-law Eleanore Walker, and her niece, Gail Chenkus. A graveside service will take place at Edgewood Cemetery, Boundline Rd., Wolcott, CT on Saturday, July 2, 2011, at 12:30 p.m. Memorial gifts may be made to the Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty Street, Danvers, MA 01923 or to the Northeast Animal Shelter, 374 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970. Arrangements are by the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody.