Katharine Elisabeth Peterson (Allen)
Katharine Elisabeth Peterson (Allen), 95, a World War II veteran, died Sunday, March 29, 2020, at Conestoga View Care Center in Lancaster, Pa., of natural causes.
Katharine is survived by her four daughters, Lynda (Jimmy) Tinsley, Susan (Dave) Niggel, Carol (Bill) Lindbeck and Nancy (Ed) Liberda; her grandchildren, Laura (Michael) Cox, William VanWormer, David (Angela) Niggel, Greg Niggel, Elizabeth (Alex) Rushing, Megan (Tom) Koep, Anna (TJ) DeGonda, Catherine Liberda and Marc (Ellen) Lindbeck.
She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Victoria Fratz, Alan (Shannon) VanWormer, Elissa Niggel, Rebecca Niggel, Hailea Koep, Harmonee Koep, Calliope Rushing, Sabry Rushing, Emrys Rushing, Hattie Koep and Margaret DeGonda.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Andrews and Emerson (Cook) Allen; her husbands, George Klaus and Engwald Peterson; her granddaughter, Jennifer Lindbeck; her great-granddaughter, Athena Rushing; her brothers, Francis Allen, Henry Allen and Andrews Allen, all honored and decorated World War II veterans.
Katharine was born Jan. 10, 1925, in Chicago, Ill., in Glencoe, Ill. Her father had a prominent Chicago civil engineering business, Allen & Garcia Co., working around the globe on mining and bridge projects. Her mother was a socialite and humanitarian in the Chicago community.
Following her father's death in 1931, their family moved to Madison, Wis., to be near their father's family.
Katharine completed her education at the prestigious finishing school, Kemper Hall in Kenosha, Wis. She then attended Syracuse University in New York, leaving there to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1945.
Katharine was a veteran of World War II, having served in the Women's Army Corps (WACs), taking basic training at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., and serving at Kennedy General Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. She was honored to be a guide for Helen Keller when she came there to visit the disabled veterans. She was honorably discharged in March of 1946 as a tech corporal.
Katharine raised her family in Butler and Roseville, Minn. She was a postal worker with the St. Paul, Minn., main postal facility for 22 years.
She did volunteer work with the Blind Association of Minnesota, where she dictated books for the blind. She was very active in both her church communities in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, often leading the children's programs and festivals. She was especially proud of her Christmas pageant, which she wrote and directed.
After retiring, she lived in Fredric, Wis., Hudson, Wis., and Lancaster, Pa., engaging with the local communities and churches. She had a zest for life. While in Hudson, she learned to paint with oils. She was so thrilled with her art and painted over 30 small paintings, which she had shared with her family and friends.
Katharine's smile, kind words, and contagious optimism won her friends from everyone she met. You never heard a disparaging word from her. The world is a little bleaker without her in it.
PETERSON — Service plans for Katharine Elisabeth Peterson (Allen), who died Sunday March 29, 2020, will be made when travel and gathering restrictions are lifted.Arrangements were entrusted to Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home, Lititz, Pa.To send an online condolence, please visit www.snyderfuneralhome.com.
