Our precious and beloved mother, Verla Petersen Rieske, passed away Saturday, February 23, 2013.
She was born in Malad, Idaho on January 21, 1925, to Joseph Francis and Hannah Spence Petersen. She arrived five minutes earlier than her twin sister Verna. She was the eighth of ten children.
She met her future husband, William (Bill) Marshall Rieske, as he was leading a group of soldiers through her hometown of Malad, Idaho during World War II. It was love at first sight. They were married on September 11, 1944. They were sealed as a family on April 24, 1967, in the Salt Lake Temple. They loved their home in Rose Park where they lived and reared their family. As a family, they traveled throughout the United States with their family business. After raising their children, she worked for over a decade at the LDS Church Office Building. She was a loving pillar of faith and strength to her family. We will always remember and treasure her smile and her beauty.
She is survived by three daughters: Verla Jean “V.J.” (Douglas) Smith of El Paso, Texas; Brenda Fox of Salt Lake City and Kathy (Kent) Gailey of Salt Lake City. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Bill Rieske, all nine of her siblings: Francis, Rita, Eldon (infant), Veldon, Alice, Opal, Maxine, Verna and Colleen, as well as her infant great-granddaughter, Abigail.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 1, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. in the Country Crossing 7th Ward, 11173 S. 3200 W., South Jordan, Utah. Friends may visit with the family from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow in the Malad City Cemetery in Idaho.