April 14, 1932 – February 21, 2023

Barbara Jean Peterson of Lee’s Summit, Missouri lived to be 90 years old. She was born April 14, 1932, in Denver, Colorado.

She grew up in Denver with her parents Kermit and Iola Peterson along with her five very protective brothers Don, Alan, Ray, Norman and Carl.  Barbara was a loving and dedicated mother to her four children: Marjorie Green, Gene McGee, Beverly Smith, and Judy Abbott. She was a Mema and Grandma to 12 grandchildren: Jim, Daniel, Joshua, Jennifer Faye, Jennifer Loraine, Eric, Brian, Chris, Laura, Sarah, Phil and Paul. She also had 29 great-grandchildren.

During Barbara’s lifetime, she endured numerous hardships which created a survivor’s instinct to succeed instead of giving up. Her faith in Jesus Christ gave her the confidence to become an entrepreneur in many trades.  She was an exceptional seamstress and designed clothing for weddings, formals, and pageants. Living in Las Vegas afforded Barbara rare opportunities to tailor clothing for Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, and even Howard Hughes. She loved serving friends and others in different capacities such as a personal chef for a college professor, a foster mother for a little girl in Alaska, and teaching girls living in halfway homes to sew and make baskets. 

Barbara made quilts, intricate needlework, dolls, and experimented with many other hobbies. She was a super talented person in every way!  Following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ led her to serve her family and the downtrodden in her community. She faithfully served as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Barbara Jean Peterson let go of her earthly journey at 1:58 AM on the morning of February 21, 2023. However, on that same morning at 1:59 AM our beautiful, precious mother took her next breath in Heaven.  In our family, she was and still is the queen of our hearts. We all love her very much and she will be totally missed!