Glennis M. (Jacobs) Peterson

Glennis Marie (Jacobs) Peterson, 87, of Sunburg, Minnesota and Naples, Florida, died peacefully November 24, 2024, at her home in Naples surrounded by her family.  A celebration of life will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday December 7, 2024, at First Lutheran Church of Norway Lake, 6338 County Road 40 NW, New London, Minnesota. Visitation will be 4:00-6:00 pm on Friday, December 6, 2024, at Johnson Funeral Home, 19 Central Ave. E., New London, Minnesota, and for one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be in the church cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, please send your memorials to an organization of your choice. Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral Home in New London. 

Glennis Marie (Jacobs) Peterson was born December 27, 1936, in Graceville, Minnesota. A native of Wheaton, Minnesota, Glennis was the fifth of six children born to Frank and Hilda Jacobs. 

In 1952, she met the love of her life at West Central School of Agriculture High School in Morris Minnesota. Dallen W. Peterson and Glennis were married in March 1955 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wheaton, Minnesota, and soon started a family. They raised five children.

In 1969, Dallen and Glennis moved to Omaha, Nebraska. She was baptized as a child but in the fall of the same year she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior, and this truly changed the direction of her life.  From 1971 to 1977, they had Household Ministry and opened their home to more than 30 people. People from all walks of life were welcome and treated like family, but most important to Glennis was that they all learned about and got to know Jesus.

After many years in the corporate world, in 1980 Dallen and Glennis jointly started a small cleaning business called Merry Maids. It started as a family affair, but by 1988 it was the largest franchised cleaning business in the world with over 500 franchises. In 1988, they retired and in 1989, moved to Sunburg, Minnesota. In 1991, they became snowbirds splitting time between Sunburg and Naples, Florida.

Glennis was extremely creative and was an accomplished seamstress. She made beautiful quilts, individually created and designed for each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren right up until this year. In retirement, Glennis started taking piano lessons, worked on her oil painting and spent many years raising and showing quarter horses. In 1998, she was honored to win the Amateur Showmanship at the American Quarter Horse World Championship.

She loved her family, praying for them daily. She never shirked from speaking the truth, with love. There was always laughter in her home…and her laugh was contagious.

Glennis was preceded in death by her parents, Hilda and Frank Jacobs; sister, Yvonne (Jacobs) Rinke; brother-in-law, Les Rinke; sister, Ilene (Jacobs) Rinke; brother, Gordon Jacobs; sister-in-law, Betty Jacobs; brother, Orrin Jacobs; sister-in-law, Audrey Jacobs; and brother, Dale Jacobs.

Glennis is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years, Dallen; children, Kim Huff, Kristae (Peter) Zandbergen, Brian (Kim) Peterson, Karma (Dan) Smith, and Brett (Cheryl) Peterson. She was also blessed with 20 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

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