A private funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Carroll with Pastor John Schauer officiating. Burial will be in the Carroll City Cemetery. Ethel's family will host a celebration of her life at a later date. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be mailed to: The Ethel Petersen Family, c/o Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home, 705 N. Carroll St., Carroll, Iowa 51401.

Ethel was born on December 16, 1927, on her family's farm near Lidderdale, Iowa, and was the daughter of Frank and Frieda (Helmkamp) Breidert. She grew up on the farm and attended Immanuel Lutheran School. She did housekeeping and worked several jobs in Carroll following her schooling.

Ethel met Donald Ray Petersen at a dance when she was 24 years old at the Five Mile House. They were married on October 21, 1951, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lidderdale. During Don’s military service the couple lived in Texas and Illinois. Following his discharge they moved back to Carroll where they raised their family.

When all of their children were in school, she went to work in the food service department for the Carroll Community School District. Ethel and Don did volunteer work delivering Meals on Wheels, New Hope Village Store, and Camp Okoboji. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church where she was involved in numerous groups and activities. She was also a member of St. Anthony Hospital Auxiliary. Ethel enjoyed baking, sewing, gardening, walking, playing cards, and hosting the annual family trip to Okoboji. Ethel was extremely proud of her family and cherished the time she was able to spend with them. She has made her home at Sunnybrook Assisted living for the past six years.

Ethel is survived by her children: Kathy (Tony), Randy (Pat), Shery (Tom), Keith (Jane), Julie (Kurt), and Janell (Rob); 16 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; two sisters: Katie (Tom) and Lulu (Larry); a sister-in-law, Delores; and several nieces and nephews.

Ethel was preceded in death by her husband, Don; parents, Frank and Freida Breidert; her in-laws, Albert and Hilda Petersen; two sisters: Lois DeWall (Otto) and Dorothy Flockhart (Ken); a brother, Norbert Breidert; a granddaughter, Libby Mae Boes; and a great-grandson, Eli Rue Rowedder.