Janet E. Peterson, 87, died July 18 in Stroudsburg, Penn., after a brief illness. She was born in Danbury, November 16, 1927, and was the daughter of the late Anne (Leheny) and Edward Gates. She lived most of her life in Bethel.

On October 15, 1950, she married Jerry Peterson, Sr, and together they built the family home and raised their children in the corner house on Henry Street.

Her three children, Jerry Peterson, Jr, and his wife Jillian, of Newtown, Karen Maurath, and her husband Jim, of Stroudsburg, and Kathy Peterson and Steve Swain of Onancock, Va.; two grandsons, James Maurath, and his wife Anya, and Patrick Maurath; a cherished great-grandson; numerous nieces and nephews; and her beloved cat survive Mrs Peterson. She will be forever in the hearts of those who knew her, and leaves them many loving memories of times spent together. Her husband predeceased Mrs Peterson.

Mrs Peterson will always be remembered for her good-natured sense of humor and her penchant for having fun.

The funeral will take at the Bethel Funeral Home, 215 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, Thursday, July 23, at noon. Burial will follow in St Mary's Cemetery, Bethel. The family will receive friends Thursday, from 10 am to noon, at the Bethel Funeral Home.

Mrs Peterson was a lifelong animal lover who provided a happy home to a number of cats and dogs, many of them rescue animals. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, 147 Grassy Plain Street, Bethel CT 06801.

Online condolences may be offered at www.hullfuneralservice.com.