Janet E. Peterson

Janet Elaine Peterson, 82, of Omaha, Nebraska, passed away peacefully at Nebraska Methodist Hospital on August 8, 2026. She was a cherished wife, mother, Grammy, sister, aunt, and friend whose presence will be deeply missed.

Janet was born in Storm Lake, Iowa, on April 1, 1944, to Clarence and Hilda (Swanson) Cockburn. She grew up in Storm Lake and shared an especially close bond with her Grandma Grace. She later moved to Spencer, Iowa, where her father owned and operated the local airport. It was there that she met her future husband, Ronald, a farmer’s son from Alta, Iowa. Ron and Jan married on July 19, 1963, at just 19 years old. This July, they celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Marriage introduced Janet to the “Peterson Family Farm,” where she quickly learned there was always something that needed tending to on the homestead. With pigs, cows, chickens, barn kitties, and gardening, the chores were endless. Ron’s mama told her that although the family didn’t have much in the way of money or possessions, they had love, and there was enough for her, too. It was a lesson Janet carried with her throughout her life and one that she taught to others; it helped shape her deep love of and commitment to family.

Janet was immensely proud of what she affectionately called her “little family.” She and Ron had one daughter, Grace. Before his retirement, Ron worked as a pilot in the private sector, and his career took the family to several different places over the years. With each move, Janet’s focus remained the same: making sure Ron and Grace adjusted to their new surroundings and turning each new house into a home.

Along with loving and caring for her family, Janet had a lifelong passion for sewing. She was a talented seamstress whose hands created stuffed animals, memory bears, doll clothes, pillows, clothing alterations, Halloween costumes, Easter and Christmas dresses, Cotillion dresses for her granddaughters, and, of course, her famous Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls. Photographs of her granddaughters wearing outfits she made are a testament to just how much love she stitched into everything she created. On occasion, there was a forgotten straight pin left behind in a garment, a little poke to remind you that it was handmade by Grammy. Anything touched by her hands was made with love, and those pieces, along with the memories woven into them, will always be cherished.

After their granddaughters arrived, Jan and Ron moved one final time, settling in Omaha so they could be close to Shelby and Ellie. Those girls, along with Grace and Scott, were spoiled and doted on relentlessly. Janet cared for Shelby and Ellie while Grace returned to work, and she and Ron became an ever-present part of their granddaughters’ childhoods. They chauffeured them to and from school, joined field trips, made coffee runs to Starbucks (and the bank’s cappuccino machine), stopped at the grocery store for free cookies, volunteered at school events, and proudly watched them perform in band concerts and show choir. Early morning card games before school were another treasured part of the routine. Whether playing Skip-Bo, Phase 10, or UNO, Janet kept things competitive and never let her granddaughters win just for the sake of winning. A victory against Grammy was a real victory. Together, Jan and Ron made childhood a little easier for their granddaughters and parenting a little less stressful for Grace and Scott. More importantly, they gave Shelby and Ellie the gift of growing up knowing, without question, just how deeply they were loved.

Jan was an incredibly gracious person. She remembered and reminisced about nearly every visit she had and was always deeply grateful for time spent with those she cherished. She could easily strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and somehow make that person feel welcomed and important. She had a way of making sure others felt seen and heard, and she consistently put the people she loved before herself.

During her final days, Janet was visited by her nephew and his wife, Jim and Jennifer Dilley, as well as her sister and niece, Bette and Diana Keul. Even then, Janet focused on the gift of having them near. She called those individuals, and the time they spent with her, her “blessings.”

Janet is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, Ron; her daughter, Grace Roberts (Scott); her granddaughters, Shelby and Ellie; her sister, Bette Keul; her stepbrother, Al Girard (Di); her brothers-in-law, Norm Dilley and Bob Peterson (Diane); many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; and a plethora of friends whose lives were made better by knowing her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Hilda Cockburn; her infant brother, Charles; her brother-in-law, Albert Keul; her sister-in-law, Janet Dilley; her stepbrother, Jim Girard; and her stepmother, Peggy Cockburn.

Jan. Mom. Grammy. She was a very private person, and in keeping with her wishes, there will be no service, formal memorial, or burial ceremony. She will be privately placed at her final resting place with her beloved Grandma Grace and, eventually, beside her husband. While we know there are many people who loved and cared for her and who would like the opportunity to say goodbye, we ask that everyone help us honor Janet by respecting the quiet and private way she chose to leave this world.

Her family will remember her not through a formal gathering, but through the countless pieces of herself she left behind: in handmade dresses and Raggedy Ann dolls, in childhood memories and coffee runs, in conversations and visits she never forgot, and in the family she loved so fiercely and so proudly called her own.

Grammy, we love you more, bestest, mostest, longer.

If you would like to share your stories and memories, cards can be sent to: Ron Peterson @ 14109 Ogden Street, Omaha, NE 68164