Katie JoAnne Peterson passed away Saturday, April 26, 2025, in her mother's home in Lusk, Wyoming.

Katie was born June 6, 1978, in Torrington, joining her loving family, Steve and Jeanne Peterson, and sister, Rosemary Peterson.  She was active in 4-H during her elementary and early high school years.  Her picture graced the cover of the Wyoming Woolgrowers Magazine when she was three years old, embracing her lamb, Pet.  She loved animals of almost every kind.  Katie provided child care in her home and loved each child she cared for as her own.  She graduated from Niobrara County High School in 1997, loving art, and assisted Jerry Walsh, a position she greatly enjoyed.  She attended Laramie Community College in Cheyenne.  The weight loss story was shared on NBC, inspiring many to seek treatment.

Katie was blessed with two children she deeply loved: Dmitri, who ranked with her dad as her favorite cowboy, and Elyse, the tender-hearted one who cared for others. Katie returned to live with her mother, Jeanne, last August. The house will be quiet in her absence.

She was preceded in death by her father, Steve Peterson of Lance Creek, and her grandparents, Julius and Mary Peterson of Lance Creek and Norman and Doreen Hauge of Wheatland, Wyoming.  She is survived by her mother, Jeanne Peterson, her children, Dmitri Richards, both of Lusk, and Elyse Richards of Pierce, Colorado, and one sister, Rosemary Henry of Harrison, Nebraska.

Interment will take place at Lusk Cemetery. The funeral service will be held on May 9, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Prairie Hills Church in Lusk, Wyoming.