Suzanne Farr Peterson

Suzanne passed away peacefully at home on October 29, 2022 following a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. We are so grateful she is no longer trapped in her body.

Suzanne was born on October 11, 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Richard Miller and Beth Richards Farr. She was an amazing example of how to move through a difficult challenge with grace and humor. Each day she would wake up and re-commit to having the best day she could. Although this disease took away almost everything she loved doing, she always had a smile and a laugh for people.

For a good part of her life, Suzanne was a gifted painter and illustrator. She was also an accomplished pianist and organist.

Suzanne graduated from Highland High School in Salt Lake City. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Brigham Young University. She was Valedictorian of her class. She taught Painting for many years at Cyprus High School, while also serving as the Coach of the Spinnakers Drill Team.

She then returned to BYU and received her Master’s degree in Family Life Education, with a counseling certificate. After graduation, Suzanne was employed in the Granite School District working as a Resource Counselor to many special needs, abused and emotionally challenged children. Her greatest desire was to offer her heart and mind in helping these children develop an understanding of their worth and value.

She then transitioned to teaching LDS Seminary at East High School in Salt Lake City. She enjoyed her time there, but decided she should return to BYU to work on a PhD in Educational Psychology. While at BYU she taught Religion and Child Development. After two years in the PhD program, she met and married Jeff Peterson in the Salt Lake Temple. She immediately became a mother to four children and made the decision to work full-time as a stay-at-home Mom.

Although extremely accomplished in many areas of her life, Suzanne's greatest achievement was as a wife and mother. Suzanne provided her husband, children, and grandchildren with an eternal love, devotion, and gospel-based example that enriched each of their lives. She dearly loved them. Time spent with family brought her perfect joy.

Suzanne taught the gospel of Jesus Christ with an extensive knowledge, spirit, and humor that strengthened her students' testimony. Because of her years of study and her comprehension of scripture, she was able to help us all understand the path home to our Father in Heaven.

Suzanne`s empathy and love extended to people she never met. She saw the heartache her husband experienced from investigating impaired driving accidents and established Freeway Watch to prevent and combat the crime. The program was nationally recognized for its effectiveness in preventing, educating, and supporting victims. Suzanne made life-long relationships with sponsors, supporters, and victims

Thank you to Suzanne’s many friends who continually checked in on her and spent time with her. The family would like to give a special thanks to Julie, Linda and Debbie for their loving and caring friendship. They willingly spent countless hours with her.

We are so grateful to the wonderful caregivers from Elevation Hospice who demonstrated such kind hearts and skilled care during the past four months. Sarah, Ava, Miriam and Sherri are angels here on Earth.

Suzanne is survived by her husband Jeff, daughters Brittany (Travis), Andrea (Matt) and Jodi (Carl), 13 grandchildren, her brother Richard, her sister Becky, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Tricia. It will be a beautiful musical reunion when she once again accompanies her sister.

The family is planning a Memorial at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, November 5 at Eastlake First Ward, 11038 South Braidwood Drive, South Jordan, Utah. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation. 

 Donate to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (michaeljfox.org)