Obituary of Viola G. Peterson

Mrs. Viola Peterson, age 96, of Five Points, passed away Thursday, October 9, 2014 at Traylor's Nursing Facility. Survivors include one daughter, Theresa Bradskey of Kansas City, Missouri; two sons, Charles Johnson of Suttons Bay, Michigan and Dr. Russell Doak Peterson of Five Points, AL; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A Flint, Michigan native, Mrs. Peterson was born January, 14, 1918, daughter of Albert and Maud Lutes Nitzschke. During World War II, she was the first woman trained by General Motors to be an instructor on the manufacture of bomb sites. After the war ended, Mrs. Peterson went to work as an interior designer for Sherwin Williams. She was very successful, but did not receive as much pay as her male commissioners. When the company capped her commission, she decided to leave instead of accepting inferior pay. It was near this time that Mrs. Peterson began to learn more about her family's myaamia history and lineage. She knew her father was Native American, but he did not speak of it much or carry on the traditional myaamia ways or knowledge. It was not until she was an adult and began doing some research that Mrs. Peterson determined her father was myaamia. As she learned more about the history of myaamia, she put her knowledge to use. In 1974, she was hired as the American Indian Education Specialist at the Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools in Flint. In addition to this position, Mrs. Peterson served with several community organizations, including the Genessee County Indian Education Committee, Genessee Valley Indian Association, the Saginaw Inter-Tribal Association, and the Genessee Indian Center. Governor William Milliken appointed her to the Michigan Commission on Indian Affairs, where she later served as Chairperson. She also served on the State Advisory Committee for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed Mrs. Peterson to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and she was later elected to be chairperson. In 1983, she was nominated for a spot in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame along with famous civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. In honor of her love for community service and civil rights, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the charity or organization of your preference. Mrs. Peterson and her husband, who passed away last year, moved to Five Points, Alabama five years ago to be near their son, Russell, who is a Family Practice physician in nearby Roanoke, Alabama. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Ray Peterson; her parents; and seven brothers and sisters.