Obituary of Elizabeth Petterson
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Elizabeth Maude Ungar (Tinkie) Petterson
Born in Manhattan, NY on April 14, 1933, she was the only child of Stanley Ungar and Mildred Bucher.
As a young teen, Tinkie fell in love with horses at Moss Lake Camp in the Adirondacks during WWII, rode her horse in Central Park and competed in Madison Square Garden at the National Horse Show in Hunter/Jumper classes.
While attending Mt Holyoke College in Massachusetts, Tinkie met DeWitt Ross Petterson on a fateful blind date. They married in 1953 in NYC. They celebrated 65 years of marriage before DeWitt died in 2018.
Tinkie lived a long and busy life, working as a school librarian, substitute teacher, but spent most of her time raising her family. She had many interests, including horseback riding, baking and a myriad of volunteer work.
Wherever Dewitt's work took them, Tinkie found a place to share her passions. In Basking Ridge, NJ, she worked as a riding instructor at the Somerset County Stables at Lord Stirling Park. When they moved to Dover, Mass., Tinkie was a favorite at the Life Experience School, teaching special needs students how to have fun in the kitchen.
After DeWitt retired, they settled in Seven Lakes, NC, with a small beach and dock for the family to visit. They spent their time travelling all over the world, taking the whole family on exciting trips, and cruising with friends. Tinkie continued to donate her time and expertise, volunteering with Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship and was the coordinator for uniforms for the volunteers at the Women's US Open at Pine Needles.
They moved to Southern Pines, NC, where Tinkie and DeWitt made many new friends, and Tinkie supplied everyone she knew with home baked goodies.
Last year, Tinkie moved back to NJ to be near her daughter Karen.
Tinkie was a loving mother to her three children. Her daughter Lisa (died June 2023) (Mark Miller), daughter Karen (Bob Terlizzi) and son Ross (Carol). She will be greatly missed by her 5 grandchildren, Hilary (Eric Mancik), Adam (Kristin), Allison (Alex Swim), Samantha (Jake Stauffer), and Hunter (Maria), and her 11 great-grandchildren, Olivia, Connor, Ellie, Emma, Penelope, Palmer, Calvin, Griffin, Juniper, Arthur and Ramona. She also leaves behind her beloved stepsister Susan Hunter Griggs.
Norman Dean Funeral Home is serving the family.
Interment will be at The Chapel in the Pines, West End, NC at a later date. No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship or the Alzheimer's Association.
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