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Posted 6/21/13 – Services were held for Marjorie “Mama Pete” Peterson on Friday. The service was presided over by Pastor Jim Walden of 1st Baptist Church of Temple City, and featured eulogies by Mayor Nancy Walsh, Town Historian and long-time friend Phyllis Chapman, long-time friend Ann Tyler, who was a fellow charter member of the Sierra Madre Civic Club with Mama Pete in 1944, and longtime friend and former Sierra Madre News Publisher Jan Reed. Several members in the audience stood up and spoke briefly as well. Mama Pete’s great grandsons Jacob and Peter provided music, and the husband of one of the teachers from Mama Pete’s Nursery School also did a reading. Both her children, Muriel McCormick and Dan Peterson spoke, with daughter Muriel reading an excerpt from the autobiography Mama Pete had started writing. There was also an eight minute biographical video prepared for her ninetieth birthday. Refreshments were provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club and the Sierra Madre Woman’s Club. The Sierra Madre Room was filled to capacity. Here’s a timetable of the video if you want to watch specific aspects of the video, which is an hour and ten minutes long. Below the video, you’ll find a photo gallery, as well.
Mayor Nancy Walsh 00:00
Town Historian and longtime friend Phyllis Chapman 02:41
Longtime friend and co-charter member of Civic Club Ann Tyler 6:39
Longtime friend Jan Reed 8:38
Great grandsons Peter and Jacob, music 14:30
Poem recited by Jerry 17:30
Video history of Mama Pete from her 90th birthday 19:30
Muriel McCormick, Mama Pete’s daughter 27:30
Peter and Jacob, Amazing Grace 40:11
Muriel McCormick, 42:50
Pastor Jim Walden opens public comment 43:19
Dan Peterson, Mama Pete’s son 55:08
Pastor Walden 55:53
Muriel McCormick 1:05:34
Peter and Jacob, music 1:05:58
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- Civic Club and Woman’s Club provided food
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- Civic Club ladies prepping for the crowd
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- I got there a little early
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- Two of Sierra Madre’s best, long time friends of Mama Pete’s – Phyllis Chapman and Jan Reed
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- Snookie Greger cut oranges with Mama Pete, and worked the Wistaria Booth with her. She was also a member of “the Golden Girls”.
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- Crowd is starting to fill in the empty seats
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- Mama Pete’s great grandson Jacob was joined by his brother Peter on guitar. That picture was blurry, sorry Peter
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- Jim Walden, Pastor at Temple City 1st Baptist Church presided over the service
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- Phyllis Chapman spoke right after the mayor
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- Jan Reed spoke after Phyllis
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- It was a full house
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- Catrelya Angus was one of the folks who spoke during the open comment period
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- Mama Pete’s daughter Muriel (left) greets a friend
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- Mama Pete’s son Dan
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- Ann Tyler, left, was a charter member of the Civic Club from its founding in 1944 with Mama Pete. Not sure who the other lady is…
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- Seemed only appropriate to have some youngsters among the crowd…
My names is Barbara Gholar. I was most sadden by the passing of Marjorie. I met her at the Prayer Breakfast at Sierra Madre Woman Club this past November. We sat next to each. I quickly found out she was Mama Pete, I was so happy to meet her. We also discovered that we both had love of children and collected teddy bears. I had a visit with her a couple of times. One of the visits I brought my nephews ages 7 & 10 they was so amazed at her collection of teddy bears, they said to me Auntie Barbara she has more then you. The 7 yrs old went home told his mother he wanted to buy her a teddy bear to add to her collection, because the day they came with me I brought her 2 from mind collection. The week of her passing she was strongly on my mind. I regret not stopping by but I am so happy that I had the chance to meet her and hear her story. I know she will be greatly missed but wow look at ALL the lives she touch. All of us were blessed to have known her some for a short time like myself, some for awhile, and some for longtime.