DeeAnn Peterson Lubbers
10/28/1939 ~ 10/17/2020
DeeAnn was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Mt. Pleasant, Utah by her parents Josephine Pagano Peterson and Bert Edwin Peterson. She followed her mother’s profession as an educator, teaching elementary students for 30+ years with a special emphasis on reading. Like her father, she loved the country life and maintained her childhood home, returning often.
DeeAnn graduated from North Sanpete High School, Class of 1957, and valued lifelong friendships with her classmates. Following high school and through her college years she worked summers at Zion National Park, a sanctuary she loved throughout her life. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1961 and began her dreams to travel the world. In the summer of 1962, some 17 short years from the end of WWII, she set sail, traveling alone, from Los Angeles to Japan where she lived as an exchange student with a family in Nagano, creating a lifelong bond. That family would visit DeeAnn’s family in Tucson, AZ in the late 1970s, teaching her young sons at an early age to love, value and appreciate all of God’s children the world over. She would go on to earn a Master’s degree from the University of Arizona in Early Childhood Development and a certificate in Gerontology. As a lifelong learner, in her retirement years she enrolled in the Institute of Continual Learning at Dixie State University and took classes of all varieties for many years.
In 1963 she married W. Boyd Dover and had two sons; W. Brent Dover (Catherine) and Bert Travis Dover (Gena). After a divorce, DeeAnn had the good fortune to meet and marry Earl R. Lubbers in Tucson, Arizona in 1973. Earl became the “father he didn’t have to be” to Brent and Bert. They added their son Ryan Earl Lubbers (Raquel) and have eleven wonderful grandchildren who were her “jewels in the crown of old age.”
Earl and DeeAnn loved one another deeply, and found a shared sense of adventure in finding opportunities for travel throughout America and much of the world, including missionary pick-ups in Finland/Russia and Brazil. They twice participated in the China Teacher Program for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, living and teaching English and American Culture to students in Qingdao and Xi’An China for a total of two years. DeeAnn always had a very strong commitment to learn about her pioneer and immigrant heritage which involved traveling several times to Sweden and Italy to meet many relatives and obtain genealogy records. In 2011, she had a marvelous experience of guiding and teaching her three sons of their Swedish and Italian roots. DeeAnn and Earl also served their church in a variety of callings including Scouting, teaching, and service in the Tucson, Arizona Mission.
Upon retirement and having lived the majority of their adult lives in Arizona, Earl and DeeAnn moved to St. George, Utah and welcomed friends and family from many countries and states into their home. They especially enjoyed having extended family from Europe come to visit and see where their ancestors settled when they came to America in the 1860s, and former students from China visit for long stays, experiencing “American life” with her entire family, and visiting the National Parks.
With strong roots, fearless wings, and imaginative dreams, she had a wonderful life!
DeeAnn is preceded in death by her parents and half sister Bonnie Peterson Jefferies.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the LDS missionary fund, or the Mt. Pleasant public library.
A Graveside service was held Saturday October 24, 2020 at 12:00 noon in the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery with a viewing prior at 11:45 at the cemetery. Online condolences at rasmussenmortuary.com
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