Mary Jean Peterson

Mary Jean (Avery) Peterson, 99, passed away peacefully on Feb 15, 2022 from advanced dementia. She was born Nov 30, 1922 in Arlington, California to Jean (Allen) Avery and Charles Avery, and grew up in Ashland, Oregon, on the family farm. She graduated from Ashland High School in 1940. Across the street from Mary's home in Ashland was a family with five boys. She took a shine to the oldest, William Lyle Peterson. With World War II starting up, Lyle was drafted and sent to Camp Roberts in California. On a one-week leave from the Army, Mary and Lyle were married in Ashland in 1943. Then it was back to the Army for Lyle! After training at Stanford, the University of Akron, in Ohio, and Camp Campbell in Kentucky, Lyle was sent to England for the remainder of the War, returning in May 1946. Mary went to Oakland, California, eventually landing a job at the Naval Supply Depot in Oakland for a while, before returning to Ashland to help her Mother run a Rooming House for Trainmen. She bought the house next door and fixed it up for when Lyle came back from the War. When Lyle came back, though, he got a job as a Fireman/Engineer on the Southern Pacific up in Eugene, so they sold the little house in Ashland and moved to Eugene, Oregon. Mary then gave birth to two sons, first William and then James. The Army wasn't done with Lyle -- they drafted him for the Korean conflict, even though he was too old, married, and had two kids. So while Lyle went off to Korea, Mary went back to Ashland. After about six months, the Army figured out their mistake and discharged Lyle. They settled back into Eugene, and had two more kids: Susan and John. Four kids was enough to keep Mary busy for twenty years. She shaped and supported them through Scouts and the PTA. Mary strongly valued education, and "encouraged" her children to excel in school. When the kids were finally out on their own, Mary turned to other activities. Lyle enjoyed working on taxes and built up a part-time business doing people's income taxes. Mary worked alongside him. They were members of the First Baptist Church. Mary was proud of her garden. And she became very interested in Genealogy, working her family line back to the American Revolution and even the Mayflower. She could even get her family back to Charlemagne! She was an active member of the Oregon Genealogical Society. Genealogy sent Mary and Lyle on several trips to Salt Lake City, back East to Michigan and Ohio, and eventually even to Sweden. Mary kept working on her garden and her genealogy even after Lyle died in 2004, although she did stop the income tax service. As she got older, she left Eugene and moved to Vancouver, Washington, to be closer to her daughter She is preceded in death by her husband Lyle, but survived by her children: William Peterson of Phoenix, Arizona, James Peterson of Austin, Texas, Susan Orchard of Camas, Washington, and John Peterson of Eugene, Oregon as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A private gathering of the family will be arranged in lieu of a funeral.

Mary Jean Peterson

November 30, 1922 - February 15, 2022