Shonna Dean Maxfield Peterson was born October 7, 1931, in Emery, Utah, to LuDean and Ella Larsen Maxfield. She passed away unexpectedly at the age of 89, on June 14, 2021, in Provo, Utah.
She married her childhood sweetheart, Kenneth Hugh Peterson, on December 3, 1949, in Emery, Utah. They were sealed together in the Manti Temple on March 15, 1958. Together, they raised six daughters in a happy home that was fondly referred to as Petticoat Junction. She made motherhood look easy. Her daughters loved and adored her. She taught them through example about kindness, service, hard work, patience, and gentleness. They aspired to be like her and became life-long members of the Shonna-Wanna-Be Club.
As her family grew over the years, each member felt her unconditional love for them. She had a way of making each of them feel very special. Family was everything to her. She was an excellent cook, and everyone looked forward to meals at her home. Many of her grandchildren were convinced that she had a Magic Pantry from which she could produce meals and goodies on a moment’s notice.
Shonna loved to dance with her sweetheart. They danced together often through the years, including a special dance at their 70th Anniversary party in 2019. She line-danced with a group of her friends well into her eighties. She enjoyed working in her immaculate yard, and she created beautiful floral arrangements from the flowers she nurtured. She sewed many clothes and gifts over the years and produced special gifts for family members. She enjoyed reading, jigsaw puzzles, and playing games and cards into the late hours of the night. She always remembered birthdays for her large posterity, and she worked hard to see that every member of the family received a thoughtful Christmas gift from her each year. She was never idle, always busy, doing something productive or serving someone else. Her family loves her beyond measure and are so grateful for the blessing she has been in their lives.
She is survived by her sweetheart of seventy-one and a-half years, Hugh; her daughters: Loretta (Gail) Grundvig, Elaine (Richard) Grange, Colleen (David) Bott, Maxine (Jack) Fielder, and Louise (Paul) Venturella; 19 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren (with one on the way), 5 great-great-grandchildren, (with two on the way), sisters, LuElla Anderson, Ruth Ann Thorne and brother, LeRoy Maxfield. Preceded in death by her daughter, Joyce Frost; her parents; siblings: Maurine Maxfield, Mary Tollett, Morris (Bud) Maxfield, and Barbara Lewis.
Funeral services will be held in the Emery Ward LDS Chapel, 70 North Center Street, Emery, Utah, on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 12:00 Noon. The service will be live-streamed. A link to the streamed service can be found online at www.walkermemorials.com. A viewing will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., also at the church, prior to the service. Interment in the Emery Cemetery.
Services are in the care of Walker Funeral Home, of Payson. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.walkermemorials.com.