Margaret Lea Petersen

Margaret Lea Petersen was born in Seattle Feb. 23, 1956 and died in Tacoma Dec. 14, 2020. Maggie was beautiful, brilliant, funny and amazingly good at everything she tried. She was a professional singer, an EMS dispatcher, a small business owner and a legal assistant, among other things. A true Pisces, Maggie loved the water and lived near it her entire life, including decades spent on Herron Island with her husband, Gary.

If you ever met Maggie, you’ll never forget her. She was a bright bundle of energy who loved her family, friends and pets fiercely. She hated injustice and was always willing to help out the underdog, giving freely of her time and abilities. She was a gourmet cook and expert craftswoman, and her recipes and handiwork are cherished across the Pacific Northwest.

Maggie loved Christmas on Herron, so it is perhaps fitting that she moved on to her next adventure during the holiday season. If you saw a few extra stars in December, know that she was decorating the heavens for you.

Maggie was predeceased by her parents, Beatrice and Frank Noah Klees. She is survived by her husband Gary of 38 years; her stepson Gary Petersen Jr. and wife Jennifer of Lake Tapps; grandchildren Zoey and Zack Petersen; her brother John Klees of Portland, Oregon; niece Jena Klees of Vancouver, Washington; and too many friends to count.

At her request, no services will be held. If you would like to make a donation in her memory, please contribute to research on breast cancer or multiple sclerosis. Maggie would like that.