Funeral services for Mrs. Joan “Andrea” Petersen, age 79, of Manchester, will be conducted at 10:00 AM on Saturday, December 21, 2019, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church with Father Klasek officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel on Friday, December 20, 2019. Mrs. Petersen passed from this life on Friday, December 13, 2019, at her residence surrounded by her family.
Andrea was born in Newark, NJ, on January 4, 1940, to the late Andrew and Josephine Walsh. Before her retirement, Andrea was a beloved English teacher for 25 years at St. Paul the Apostle School. Andrea adored her family, enjoyed cooking wonderful meals for everyone who could attend, and baking cookies for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed watching mystery shows, doing crossword puzzles, and spending time with her friends and family. Andrea was a loving wife, mother, sister, and grandmother.
In addition to her parents, Andrea is also preceded in death by her loving husband of 55 years, Robert Petersen, Sr.; three brothers, Richard, Andrew, and Daniel Walsh. She is survived by two sons, Erik (Kelley) Petersen and Rob Petersen; three daughters, Kristel Gainor (Rich), Amaryl Morie (Scott), and Andrea Ritchie (Dennis); eighteen grandchildren, Richard Gainor (Catherine), Austin Gainor (Rose), Victoria Gainor Linck (Anthony), Erik Petersen, II (Erica), Jacqueline Petersen Womack, Anna Petersen (Brennon Watson), Derek Walker, Corey Walker, Kristin Carr (Russell), Bridget Isenberg (Matt Rhodes), Erica Morie Veech (Trevor), Jerry Morie, Ian Morie, Amaryl Petersen (Jarl Pedigo), Morgan Ritchie, Brooke Ritchie, Erika Ritchie, Jessica Ritchie; seven great-grandchildren, Tyson Coons, Lucas Gainor, Julian Linck, Torrey Anderson, Charlotte Petersen, Aurora Petersen, and Henry Veech.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in Andrea’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN, 38105, by phone, 800-805-5856, or by their website, www.stjude.org
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Petersen family.
