Melissa Peterson

Melissa Joann Peterson was born on July 19, 1974 in Faribault, MN and died on July 1, 2012 in Park Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, after battling a serious illness.             Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory in Faribault, with Rev. Robert Mundahl, officiating. Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 14th from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m.   Melissa graduated from Faribault Sr. High School in 1993, and completed her certified nursing assistant certificate from Riverland Technical College that same year. Additionally, she received a certificate from the European Healing and Massage Therapy School in Skokie, IL in 2001. She had been self-employed as an Illinois state-licensed massage therapist. Prior to becoming a massage therapist she worked as a nursing assistant and a Barista at Starbucks coffee. After receiving her nursing assistant certificate, Melissa moved to Phoenix, AZ and worked as a nursing assistant before moving to Chicago in 1995. She lived and worked in Chicago and its suburbs for the rest of her life, living and working with her sister Andrea there from 1995 through 1997. Melissa's interests included cooking, traveling, yoga, meditation, gardening, biking, rollerblading, and being outdoors. Melissa is survived by her mother Shirley Peterson of Faribault, her sister Andrea (Eric) Peterson-Goldstein of Los Angeles, CA, nephew Barak and niece Gabriella, her brother Travis (Sandy) Peterson of Andover, MN, niece Madeline, nephew Marcus, and niece Alexis, her special friend, Tom Stanza of Chicago, IL, along with numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Southern Illinois. Melissa was preceded in death by her father Andrew Peterson, her grandparents, Ruby Hensel (maternal) and Andrew E. and Lillian Peterson (paternal). She was also preceded in death by her fiancé Marc Feldman.