It is with both sadness and thankfulness that I announce our mom, Betty H. Petersen, passed away peacefully in her home on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. For those who knew her, she was a dynamic woman who packed a lot into her 92 years. She was the consummate hostess, and in her prime entertained and presided over lavish parties for over 100 people as easily as she hosted intimate dinners for three or four couples.

Mom was born in San Antonio, TX and truly traveled the world, living in California, Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island, England, Okinawa, and Guam. By my best estimate she traveled to over 40 countries, including the Soviet Union, China, Belize, Guatemala, South Africa, and several Pacific Island nations and throughout Europe and the Far East.

Passions included shopping, cooking, entertaining, shopping, traveling, eating, and of course, shopping, often with her good friends Pat and Reta. Shopkeepers around the world will mourn her passing. I frequently commented that I would worry about her if she stopped enjoying food or taking the time to get dressed up to venture out of the house. True to form, she was enjoying homemade sausage stuffing, fruit cake cookies, cranberry salad, and delicious soup just the day before she passed. While arrangements were being made to transport her home from the hospital, she was adamant she would not leave in a hospital gown - she was far too dignified for that!

To her credit, she seemed to be able to thrive in almost any environment...whether it was hosting President Reagan's entourage in Guam during a layover on his trip to Japan or roughing it in the jungles of Central America accompanying my dad on an archaeological dig of Mayan ruins. And she was greeted by name at many of Pensacola's finer establishments...Jackson's, Po Boys, Global Grill, and of course the local Waffle House.

She was held up at gunpoint in the Philippines, mugged in a market in Guatemala, and survived two home invasions while she was present. None of these incidents seemed to slow her down.

Besides her daughter, Becky Richardson, her son Craig Petersen and his wife Amy Austin Petersen, she leaves behind her grandchildren Audrey and Austin Petersen, and Austin's wife Elena Marie Petersen. She was blessed to have met her great grandson, Tom, on a visit to San Diego in 2024.

Left to cherish her memory are a diverse and eclectic mix of friends spanning the globe - neighbors, travel companions, and partners in shopping. Special thanks to those who helped her live out her life in the comfort of her own home, especially Bonnie, Jim, Del & Tara, and her good friend Crystal.

She shared with me that if she were to do it again, she would still want to be the wife of a Naval Aviator. While that may seem to be an unambitious goal in 2026, for her, it opened an entire world of possibility and adventure. When my dad proposed to her he said "Marry me baby and I'll show you the world!" He kept that promise and now after 10 years apart they are together again to explore the rest of the universe...

A Memorial Service will be held 10:00am Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel. A Committal Service will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery at 11:30am, where her ashes will be placed with her husband.