Leola Lorraine Peterson
November 16, 1927 – June 2, 2020

Funeral services for Leola Lorraine Peterson, 92, of Lower Brule, SD, will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 11, 2020, at the Reliance United Methodist Church in Reliance, SD.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, 2020, at Hickey Funeral Chapel of Chamberlain, SD.
Leola Lorraine Peterson died June 2, 2020, surrounded by her loving family at her home north of Lower Brule, SD.
Leola Lorraine Peterson was born Nov. 16, 1927, in rural Lyman County of South Dakota to Leroy and Ethel (Werner) Schaefer.
She attended grade school at Iron Nation, SD, and graduated from Reliance High School of Reliance, SD, in 1946. She always claimed to have rode horseback to school and she probably did.
She met Lyle Peterson at a high school carnival in Reliance, SD. After writing letters to each other for two years while he was in the military, they were married July 3, 1946, at Reliance, SD.
They rented a farm east of Reliance, SD, and bought their own place five miles north of Lower Brule, SD, in 1952 where they lived until now. They were proud parents of nine children – Cheryl, Jeanne, Shirley, Carlton, Marcia, Karen, Becky, Peggy and Royal.
Leola was involved with many community clubs and organizations such as the American Legion Auxiliary Post #179, Sioux Valley Extension Club, Lyman County Historical Society and the United Methodist Women’s
group. She was a 4-H leader as well as a substitute teacher and served on the election board for many years. She was active in genealogy research and helped with several Lyman County history books.
Leola made quilted baby blankets for all of her great grandkids until her fingers and eyes no longer made it possible.
She was an avid photo buff and filled many family albums with her photos which have preserved a lot of family memories.
She wrote a weekly letter to all of the kids and family starting in 1972 and continued with weekly e-mails in later years until 2017.
She baked and decorated wedding and birthday cakes for many years until she had Marcia take over for her. Many of her granddaughters also decorate cakes and cookies after watching and learning her skills that she shared with them.
She taught all of us how to sew, cook, can vegetables and meat, milk cows, garden, leathercraft, raise chickens, hoard and her love of reading.
Grateful for having shared her life are her children, Cheryl Quick and husband, Pat, Shirley Horton and husband, Roger, Carlton Peterson and wife, Margot, Marcia Peterson, Karen Quick and husband, Richard, Becky Cole and husband, Edward, Peggy Aguallo and husband, Joe and Royal Peterson; 28 grandchildren, 56 great grandchildren and nine great great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Peterson; a daughter, Jeanne; a son-in-law, Ivan Quick; grandsons, Roger Horton, Jr. Blaine Quick and Logan Aguallo; great grandsons, Gage Edwards and Kian Lopez; her parents, Leroy and Ethel Schaefer; brothers, Francis Schaefer and wife, Wanda, Leroy Schaefer, Jr. and wife, Sharon and James Schaefer and wife, Gloria as well as many other in-laws and family.
Hickey Funeral Chapel of Chamberlain, SD, will be in charge of arrangements.
The obituary may be seen at www.hickeyfuneralchapel.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Reliance United Methodist Church.