Alice J. Petersen, 82, of Dell Rapids passed away on Friday, May 19, 2017 at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls. Her funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 in the Lutheran Church of Dell Rapids. Visitation will begin at noon on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at Kahler Funeral Home with the family present from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Alice Buss, an avid horseback rider, grew up on the family dairy farm near Magnolia, MN.  She attended Magnolia High School and was an active participant in 4H, choir and was crowned Miss Rock County.  After graduation, she began work at a law firm in Luverne as a Paralegal and there, she met her husband of 48 years, Richard C. Petersen.

They had three children, Elizabeth (Morgan) Mendelson of Sioux Falls, SD; Bryce (Echo) Petersen of Plankinton, SD and Tracy (Marc) Edmondson of Lake Oswego, OR. Dick and Alice moved their young family to Dell Rapids, SD in 1961.  Together, they were long-time business owners of Petersen Pharmacy and Gifts.  Alice was very active in the Dell Rapids community.  She was a core member of the group that launched the community theater, OOPS; member of the PEO sisterhood; benefactor of the Carnegie Library restoration project; founding member of the Dell Rapids golf course; and was an active volunteer in the elementary school reading program and high school band, choir, and theatre productions. She was a prominent member of the Dell Rapids Lutheran Church and sang soprano in the church choir.   Alice considered herself fortunate to winter in Mesa, AZ for the last 10 years and enjoyed her time in the warm sun with friends, bible study and water aerobics.

Alice was naturally gifted in vocal music.   At a young age, she sang in competitions, on Minnesota Public Radio, in various choirs, on stage, and always to her grandchildren. Her love and interest carried beyond music to include oil palette knife painting.   Alice was a voracious reader and conversant on a wide range of topics from politics to the financial markets. She had a unique ability to impart simple wisdom and compassion to young and old.  She loved animals, and one of her greatest joys was raising Siamese cats and was known to her family and friends as the “crazy cat lady”.  On her 75th birthday, her granddaughters surprised her with a trip to Las Vegas and presented her with a new feline companion Joey, who was at her bedside until last breath.

Alice fought a courageous battle against multiple cancers over the last several years. With grit, determination and strong will, she was able to enjoy many special family moments including the marriages of three grandchildren: Kelly (Petersen) and Chad Nielson, Tyndall, SD; Courtney (Mendelson) and Graham Van Horn, Sioux Falls, SD, Trenton Mendelson and Jesse Zhang, Wuxi, China and celebrated the college graduations of Kelsey and Sara Edmondson, Lake Oswego, OR.  Most recently she welcomed her first great grandchild Rhett Van Horn.  

Alice was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, parents, Ruth (DeGroot) and Herman Buss, and siblings, Marion Binford and Donald Buss.

Memorials may be directed to the Lutheran Church of Dell Rapids or the Dell Rapids Carnegie Library. 

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