Heather Holly Peterson

Heather Holly Peterson, the daughter of Tom and Eunice (Zaiger) Gallagher, was born December 27, 1978 at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, Iowa and died May 6, 2022 at her home in Audubon, Iowa at the age of 43 years, 4 months, and 10 days.

She was baptized by the First Assembly of God Church in Audubon. She attended the Audubon Community Schools and later Denison Job Corp receiving her GED in 1997. She was blessed with her first daughter Hannah. She made her home in Des Moines, Iowa where she was employed at the New Oaks Care Center as the head cook in the dietary department for 5 years.

On October 10, 2004, she was united in marriage to Richard Peterson at his parents’ home in Des Moines. They were blessed with another daughter Hailey. She then worked for Econo Lodge in Des Moines, working the front desk and in housekeeping. They moved back to Audubon, Iowa in 2012 and was employed with the Family Resource Center in Carroll, Iowa for several years and also worked at the Holiday Motel in Audubon.

Heather loved to listen to music, watch scary movies, and enjoyed cooking and shopping. She was a very active person and always concerned about her fitness. You could often find her taking long walks, riding bikes, or jumping on the trampoline with her daughters. In her spare time, she enjoyed tending to her vegetable garden.

Preceding her in death was her niece Maggie Zaiger; her mother-in-law, Linda Peterson, and her maternal grandparents, Earl and Dorothy Zaiger.

Survivors include her husband, Richard Peterson of Audubon; her daughters, Hannah Stewart and significant other Nicholas Wilson and their children Nevaeh and Carson all of Audubon, Hailey and husband Trever Oldham and their children Everleigh and Zaidyn all of Harlan; her step-daughter, Aaliyah Slaughter of Carlisle, Iowa; her mother, Eunice Martens of Audubon; her father, Tom Gallagher of Harlan; her brothers, Joseph and wife Lisa Zaiger of Audubon, and James Martens and significant other Diane of Colorado; her father-in-law, Richard Peterson of Des Moines, Iowa; her sister-in-law, Holly Peterson of Des Moines; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 16, 2022 at 2:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon with Pastor Steven Frock officiating. The family will meet with friends Monday, May 16th from 12:00 P.M. until the time of the service at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon.