Mavis E. Peters, 85

Mavis was born Sept. 25, 1925, in Drain, Ore., to Dr. Stanley C. Peters and Fay Montgomery Peters.

Mavis died Saturday, March 5, 2011, while residing at Lakeview Care Center in Bigfork. Prior to Lakeview Care Center, she lived with her brother, Leland Peters, and his wife, Betty, in Bigfork for five years. Her nephew, Greg Peters, and wife, Reyco, and their son Max live in Phoenix. Her niece, Jill, and husband, Keith, live in San Diego.

Mavis moved to Montana from Jacksonville, Ore., where she lived from age 5 to a few years after high school. After graduation when World War II broke out, her loyalty to her country persuaded her to join the military. After walking 15 miles to the recruiting office, she was told they didn’t recruit women; so she volunteered as a Civil Defense lookout over the West Coast, using binoculars to spot any incoming enemy aircraft.

In 1960, she moved to Tempe, Ariz., to pursue her bachelor’s degree in special education from Arizona State University. She taught school in Phoenix for several years, then taught in Riverside and Corona, Calif., until she retired. From there she returned to Jacksonville to care for her aging mother.

Mavis loved all animals, she was an avid stamp collector as well as a coin collector. She also loved the beautiful Montana Rocky Mountains.