Tribute

Thank you for being so kind and taking care of our mother’s body. She was an organ and tissue donor and when I, her daughter Kiwani, was in school I had the privilege to dissect several bodies and she always thought it was very cool. Thank you for inviting us to share about her. I would always tell her about the people who had donated their bodies when provided that information and what I learned from them. She was always “jazzed” about it. I too am an organ donor and will be donating my body to science. This means a lot to our family. , Susan Louise Peterson was an avid animal lover and horsewoman. She grew up on a ranch in San Jose and Gilroy riding horses and participating as an active member of 4H. Throughout her life she taught many people, including her two daughters, to ride and care for horses. When my sister and I were little we had four horses, three dogs, a bunny, and about thirty cats. We basically ran a make-shift cat shelter out of our house. At the time she was a waitress and we would capture the kittens from behind the restaurant, get them shots, fixed, and homes even though we didn’t have a lot of money. She taught my sister and me to be strong and to live our own lives on our terms. If we wanted to do something she was never anything but encouraging; take that job, move to a new state, apply to that school, go travel the world alone as a woman. What’s stopping you? You can do it! That was her common refrain. She was also fiercely intelligent. She read daily devouring everything she could get her hands on, a legacy that continues with her husband, her two daughters, and their husbands. Not only did she encourage reading but she taught us to learn. From a young age, if we didn’t know something, she didn’t just tell us, she helped us find the information for ourselves, by taking us to the library to look it up. A process that has served us throughout our lives and we are forever grateful for. She was an accomplished artist. She made jewelry, drew, and made detailed scrimshaw etchings. She was also very interested in Botony. In the springtime, she would always call out the plants by their Latin name as they came into bloom and would teach us how to identify plants by shape and structure. We will be planting a biodegradable urn and a Dogwood tree in her honor. Kindness, curiosity, and independence were her key values in life. , Thank you again for taking care of our mother’s body. I have no doubt she would be pleased to continue to contribute to the education of others.

Friends & Family

Scott Dunn (Husband and soulmate of 31 years), Elise Schone (Eldest daughter), Kiwani Allen (Youngest daughter)