Irene Peterson, age 96, of Frederic, Wisconsin, passed away on September 17, 2026, surrounded by family at the St. Croix Regional Medical Center.

Irene was born May 13th, 1930, to Lawrence and Zatha (McLain) Fisk in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, and grew up near Freedom Lake, outside of Frederic. She talked often about walking to the one-room Round Lake schoolhouse. She went on to graduate from Frederic High School in 1948. After graduation, Irene moved to Minnesota with some girlfriends, where she worked as an internal page, carrying messages between offices at the Foshay Tower and other buildings in Minneapolis. She loved the city life, and it was at that time in her life that she met Elmer Markwardt.

Irene and Elmer married in June of 1957 and moved to St. Cloud, MN, where they had 2 children, Michael and Patty. In August of 1960, Elmer passed away from a sudden illness. At that time, Mike was not yet 2 years old, and Patty was only 3 weeks old. Irene returned to the Frederic area with her two young children. The Fisk family were longtime members of Trade Lake Baptist church, so when she returned to the area, she returned to that church. It was there that she was reacquainted with Carol Peterson. He had been a youth ministry leader while she was in high school. At that time, Carol was raising his four children (Susan, Kathy, Arlen, and Dwight) on his own, due to the passing of his wife a few years earlier in a truck accident. Irene and Carol wed on November 18th, 1962. They went on to have three daughters together--Wendy, Wanda, and Tammy.

What a blended family it was! At the time, they owned both Peterson Lumber & Wood Products and Birchwood Beach Resort. If Irene wasn’t busy with one of the 9 kids, she was keeping the books for both businesses, and if an employee called in sick at the sawmill, you could be sure she was out behind the planer or stacking lumber to keep things moving. During the summer, she kept busy with a multitude of campground duties. Whether it was cleaning one of the four cabins, bailing boats, or mowing one of the many campsites, she was always doing something. In the off season, she and the kids helped Carol with collecting the many gallons of sap and cooking it all down to delicious Maple Syrup. Irene went to beauty school, and though she did not work at that very much professionally, she gained the skills to do a lot of haircuts and perms for her family members! She also made very tight French braids for Wanda and Tammy when they were in gymnastics.

Irene was always active in their church. She was a Sunday school teacher for years, and she was very committed to the many Wednesday night clubs and activities the church held. She was involved in the Women’s Circle for decades, participating in Bible studies, making and serving food, and helping to sew. Well into her 80s and early 90s, she would lug her sewing machine to the church to help put together the quilts for each year's graduating seniors. She just loved being a part of whatever was going on and wanted to help in any way she could. Irene was also a member of the Homemakers of America for over 50 years. She loved to brag that she had held every office, be it President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary for the Homemakers at one time or another. She was also very proud of the fact that every child, grandchild, or great-grandchild who applied and qualified for the $250.00 Homemaker's Education Scholarship received it because of her dedication to service in that group.

At Irene’s 90th birthday party, she met Marlyn Wedin, a neighbor from the other side of Spirit Lake. They became fast friends and truly enjoyed each other’s company.

She spent the last 11 months of her life living at the United Pioneer Home in Luck, Wisconsin, where she received very compassionate care. She was popular with the staff due to her cheerful disposition. She was even voted in as the 2026 UPH Valentine's Queen and got to ride in the Trishaw in the Lucky Days Parade in July, waving to the crowd and throwing out candy to the kids!

Irene was preceded in death by her husbands, Elmer Markwardt and Carol Peterson; daughters, Susan Larson and Patty Swenson; and her siblings, Lucille Brask, Mabel Kimmes, and Leroy Fisk. Irene is survived by her Children: Kathy Wilcox, Arlen Peterson (Teri Mattice), Dwight (Nancy) Peterson, Mike Peterson, Son-in-law Rick Swenson, Wendy (Lydell) Larson, Wanda (Dana) DiMartinis, and Tammy (Paul) Zarn, along with her 24 Grandchildren, 27 Great-Grandchildren, and 4 Great-Great-Grandchildren

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Trade Lake Baptist Church in Trade Lake, Wisconsin. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place at Union Cemetery in Trade Lake, luncheon to follow the graveside service back at Trade Lake Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, here are organizations our mother was passionate about:

Trade Lake Baptist Church: https://www.tradelakebaptist.org/give

The Gideons International: Here are the Steps to Process a Gideon Card online: To make a donation in Irene Peterson's memory/honor, please visit our website at: www.sendtheword.org , click on the “Choose a Card” box, then choose the card that you want us to send by clicking on it. If you click on the “In Memory” tab, there are several cards to choose from. Next, you will need to click the “Personalize” box, and then type the name of who it’s “In Memory” of, the number # of Bibles, who it’s “Donated By”, and then click the “Next” box. The Bibles are $5.00 each. Now type name and address where to mail the cards: Wanda DiMartinis 14 Guinivere Rd. Easton, MA 02356, Then click the “Next” box. Please click the “Checkout” box. Then click the “Continue as Guest” box. After that you will need to give your name, address, and credit card information. Then click the “Complete Order” box. You will receive an email confirmation that the gift was processed.

Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster. Online condolences may be expressed at www.swedberg-taylor.com.