It is with profound sadness that we announce that “Sunny” Peterson has departed this life on December 17, 2024 at the age of 92.
She was born Dorothy Joan Potter on April 24, 1932 in Framingham, MA to the late William and Arnelia (Scott) Potter. She grew up in a rural neighborhood with her two siblings and her beloved horse, “Blackie.” After finishing high school, she went on to college and earned a degree in Physical Therapy.
After college, she married Carl G Peterson, Jr. MD and after living many places around the world they settled in Hampton, CT in 1966 to raise their family. After divorcing in the ‘70s, she wintered in Crystal Beach, FL and eventually settled there. In 2021, she moved to Commonwealth Senior Living (CSL) in Haddam, CT.
Sunny is survived by her four children, Greg (& Mary), Cort (& Sue), Xanthé (& Keith) and Zinelle (& Doug), six grandchildren, Josh, Jenna, David, Kathryn, Elizabeth and Andrew, and one great grandchild, Markus. She is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews and many dear friends who will miss her dearly. She was predeceased by her sister Shirley and her brother Bill.
Sunny said one of her most rewarding and solid parts of her path was during WWII when she found “worth” in accomplishing many necessary chores for a growing small after-work farm meant to feed the family during those years of shortages. Since then, she has always been drawn to the earth and the Nature Kingdom. She spent her time “doing whatever needed to be done.” She designed for her own needs including learning how to, then designing and building her own house with the help of a friend and her daughter, Xanthé. In both CT and FL, gardening and herbal remedies were her passion which she loved to share with others. If you knew Sunny, you knew she would be explaining the value of the native plants around you and how to get the best from them.
When she wasn’t working around the house, she enjoyed choral singing, plays painting, sewing, storytelling, swimming, gardening, caring for the land and enjoying her children. Among Sunny’s volunteer activities were mentoring grammar school kids and several years of hosting exchange students. In her words, “I am most passionate to keep seeking to recognize the laws and purpose of life and apply them for the upliftment of all life on this planet.”
Like the sun streaming into her room at CSL, her joy streamed into the hearts of so many around her, especially those who worked there. She wrote eloquent notes and text messages that surprised and delighted the recipients, trying to always see the good in everyone and every situation. If there’s one word to describe her, it is grace.
We leave you with one of her recent notes:
“Don’t forget it is we, all of humanity, who makes up the route we take by our collective thoughts and actions. So let’s put on our “can-do“ face of gratitude for all that is beautiful and good! Let our love and joy transform the darkness.”
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