Longtime resident of Cloverdale, and native San Franciscan, Josephine Catherine Peterson died peacefully at her daughter’s home in Arcata, California on Saturday, July 13, 2019. She was eighty-eight years old.
Born January 17, 1931, Josephine lived her formative years in San Francisco with her Italian immigrant parents, Angela and Ernest Lagomarsino, her twin sister Lillian, and younger sister Laura. Their first language was Italian, and as the girls learned English in school, they dutifully gave their parents daily English lessons. Mom shared many stories about growing up in the city where Frank Sinatra once boasted, “Now there’s a grown-up swinging town.” Mom reminisced about the joys of going down to North Beach to buy the coveted prosciutto at Molinari’s and authentic fogaccia at Liguria’s. More than anything, Mom loved to dance. She delighted in “jitterbugging” to Big Band music at the dance clubs on Market Street near Union Square, and was forever tapping her feet to the beat of a good tune. Even in Mom’s final days, as she peacefully slept with Tommy Dorsey’s big band music playing in the background, Mom was tapping her fingers to a perfect swinging beat.
After attending Ursuline’s Catholic Boarding School for girls in Saint Helena, California, Mom attended secretary school at the San Francisco College for Women, Lone Mountain. Josephine was the Personal Secretary for California’s Supreme Court Chief Justice in San Francisco when she met her future husband, James Peterson, who was a student at Hastings Law School and a law clerk at the time. They were married December 1, 1956 and had four children: James Jr., Val, William, and Janel. In typical Catholic fashion, Mom always said she was going to “keep going until I get my girl.”
Jim and Josephine lived in Walnut, California where Dad worked for the Attorney General’s office in Southern California until he talked Mom into moving the family to a ranch in Cloverdale in 1972. Josephine acclimated to ranch living by baking her famous blackberry pies, canning fresh tomatoes from the garden, and baking loads of fresh bread. Mom eventually worked as a secretary for the Superintendent at the Geysers and stayed with PG&E until her retirement.
Early on, Mom forged close friendships with her sorority sisters in Cloverdale’s chapter of the national service organization, Beta Sigma Phi, including: Jane Paulsen, Neva Goodman, Mary Jane Middlestat, Mary Larsen, Louise Andersen, and many, many more. Mom’s social calendar was always full; she was involved in everything. Mom could be seen with her people in the ice-cream booth at the Citrus Fair, pouring wine at the church gala, serving crab at a crab feed, adorning her hat for Red Hat Society activities, day-long bridge tournaments, and picnics at Lake Sonoma. Her friends and family remember Josephine teaching them how to make raviolis, lasagna, and her sauce.
Mom was especially talented in sewing quilts, an art form she enjoyed with her dearest friend, Dottie Hunt. Together they spent hours at a time sewing quilts that are now part of Mom’s grandest legacy. Recently, it was heartwarming to catch Mom studying the stitching on one of her quilts she made so many years ago. Sewing masterpieces out of fabric, with Dottie, was Mom’s most treasured past time.
Josephine loved her family and took such pride in her children and grandchildren. She could be seen sitting in the crowd, cheering them on in every game, match, swim meet, high school event, college graduation, wedding, and birthday. She was thrilled to be a grandmother. Amee, August, Jr., Sam, and Harry were Josephine’s ultimate gifts. Mom was a loved aunt to her many nieces and nephews, and their children. She put many miles on her car to enjoy their company year round. Josephine was a second mom to countless of her children’s friends too. She was fun, loving, and gullible for a good prank. Mom was loved by many.
Josephine is preceded in death by her beloved husband, James Peterson; her parents, Ernest and Angela Lagomarsino; and cherished twin sister and brother-in-law, Lillian and Charles Chiapellone. Josephine is survived by her sister, Laura Dubnoff Odegard; her children Jim Peterson, Jr., Val Peterson, Bill & Adrian Peterson, Janel Catalano; her grandchildren, Sam and Harry Peterson, Amee and August Catalano, Jr.; and many nephews and nieces.
Josephine’s children encourage all friends and family of Josephine to take a moment to play Frank Sinatra’s “All of Me” in memory of our dearly missed mother. Additionally, Josephine’s children would like to thank the good people at Hospice of Humboldt for their loving support. A reception in Josephine’s honor will be on Saturday, July 27th, 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. at the Healdsburg Clubhouse at Tayman Park, 927 South Fitch Mountain Road in Healdsburg. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Humboldt, 3327 Timber Fall Court, Eureka, CA 95503, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.
