My mother Yeuan-Ching Peterson (or Betty to most) was a kind person. She cared about everyone around her but didn’t always know how to show it. So, she said hello with a smile, she gave them treats—exotic sodas and chocolates of every shape—and she wrote them notes, sometimes with cute little drawings. No guest ever left our house without a treat and a happy heart.
She came to Utah 40 years ago from her home, Tainan, Taiwan. And she thought of home and her family there every single day. But, she wanted to give me a chance at the American dream, so she married my father and stayed here. She struggled so that maybe I would not.
Mom was a smart person who loved to learn. She went to university at medical school in Taipei and later earned her master’s in microbiology in Provo. She was always reading something, though usually it was a mystery book.
Around the house, mom loved to sing. She would say she was tone deaf, but that didn’t stop her from belting out her favorite classic folk songs—in Taiwanese, Mandarin, Japanese, English. It didn’t matter to her; she loved them all. She always encouraged me to make music, too.
She also loved sports, specifically the ones with racquets. We’d play tennis at Dixon where she taught me how to swing. Sometimes it was racquetball or ping-pong at the rec. center. And every once and awhile we’d play a little pool. She always beat my dad.
You may have met my mom at Many Lands or the Asian market in Provo; she loved talking with customers. Although she had social anxiety, she always chatted to everyone she saw—neighbors, supermarket clerks, teachers at Dixon, just to name a few. And all she wanted in life was for everyone to be happy and healthy.
Mom fought her cancer with every ounce of strength she had. She took her last breath peacefully on June 26, 2025 with dad and I holding her hand.
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