Obituary of Ellen M. Peterson

Ellen Margaret Peterson (née Farkas), 80, of Toms River, NJ, passed away peacefully on January 4, 2025, surrounded by her family. Ellen was born on August 27, 1944, in New Brunswick. Graduating from Edison High School, where she served as captain ofthe twirling team, she met her future husband, Andy. She is an alumna of Newark State College (now Kean University) with a bachelor's degree in education. Thereafter, she was a devoted teacher for 20 years in the Toms River Regional School District at North Dover Elementary before retiring, with a 13-year hiatus to raise her three children. Ellen loved reading, antiquing, and gardening; they were her passions. She also loved spending summers in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, with her family. With Andy, she opened her home to numerous foster children, often those in need of open heart surgery at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center. She is predeceased by her parents, Charles and Margaret Farkas, and brother, Kenneth Farkas. Ellen is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, Andy Peterson; her children, Jenny Peterson, Jay Peterson (Alexandra), and Jill Peterson (Stephen); grandchildren, Colin, Charlotte, and Olivia; and sister, Kathy Grano. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 11:00 am at the Island Heights United Methodist Church, 111 Ocean Avenue, Island Heights, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Ellen’s name to Alzheimer's New Jersey either online or 425 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 203, Roseland, NJ 07068, or the Island Heights United Methodist Church either online or 115 Ocean Avenue, Island Heights, NJ 08732.