Marcia Peterson Obituary

Peterson
MARCIA L. (EDWARDS, GATES, WECK) PETERSON
August 25, 1931 February 5, 2020
Considered "fun-loving," "feisty," and a "force of nature" by all who knew her, Marcia L. Peterson was welcomed back to Heaven on February 5, 2020. She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 35 years, Robert L. ("Pete") Peterson, daughter Leslie Gospill (Phoenix), son Steffen Weck (Denver), three grandchildren, and a large, blended family full of step- children, -grandchildren, and -great-grandchildren. She was 88.
A native of Lebanon, Indiana, Marcia was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and studied theater and dance at DePauw University ('53). She later earned a master's in education administration from Butler University. In 1967, she and her young family moved to Colorado Springs. From that moment on, Marcia was smitten with Pikes Peak-insisting that she always live in homes whose windows framed America's Mountain. It nurtured her spirituality and inspired her daily.
In her lifetime, Marcia taught hundreds of children to read-mostly as a first-grade teacher at Grant Elementary-then turned her focus to educating future teachers at UCCS. Over the years, she implemented dance and arts programs for her students and served on numerous education, literacy, culture, and arts boards and committees.
After retiring from District 11, she took her passion for education and her love of Christ abroad to assist in faith-based teacher-education programs. An enduring desire to travel sent Marcia off to meet the children she supported through Compassion International and, later, to work with young Ethiopian women through the Trampled Rose mission. For several years, she held a part-time job as a bus-tour narrator to help fund her mission work. Adventures around the world and across the country with her husband were also big, bucket-list highlights.
Tennis, dance, acting in local theater and tv commercials, and serving in numerous capacities at First Presbyterian Church filled any time left in her jam-packed days. She was nearly 80 when she founded the local acting troupe, Women of the Bible.
The service has been postponed until further notice. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to First Presbyterian Church Foundation "In Memory of Marcia Peterson" and sent to 219 E. Bijou St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.