Catherine Ann Petersen

Catherine Ann Petersen (Nielsen), 81, of Dike, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at Creekside Living in Grundy Center, Iowa. She valiantly fought the complications of Polycystic Kidney Disease for many decades, sustained the past 24 years by the gift of life from a donated kidney. Visitation will be held Monday, June 22, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 10:30 a.m. at Fredsville Lutheran Church in rural Cedar Falls, Iowa. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Dike Public Library or the Dike Fire Department.

Catherine was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa on May 14, 1945, to her parents Harlan and Marlis (Toombs) Nielsen. She was raised on the family farm in rural Dike and graduated from Dike High School in the class of 1963. Upon graduation she attended the Personnel Training Institute in Omaha, Nebraska after which she began her career working as a secretary for the CIA. After two years she returned to Iowa and was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart Merlyn Petersen on September 4, 1965, at Fredsville Lutheran Church. The couple welcomed their children Paul, Dan, and Molly into their family.

Catherine was a long-time member of Fredsville Lutheran Church where she was the chairman of the highly successful Fredsville Cookbook “Danish Favorites” originally published in 1979. The first edition sold out 1500 copies with many subsequent additions and is still in print today. She was integral in the Hospitality Committees within the church, the church bazars, and was a member of many church circles. Catherine was an avid card player. She and Merlyn were members of two 500 card clubs for fifty years. She was known for her delicious pies, most notably her lemon meringue. Catherine enjoyed watching sports, especially volleyball and basketball. She also enjoyed supervising Merlyn in the garden. However, her true joy in life came from spending time with her family.

Catherine is survived by her husband Merlyn; her children Paul (Christie), Dan (Mitzi), and Molly (Matt) Kiernan; grandchildren Andrew, Rachael, Aaron, Kirsten, Pete, and Abe; great-grandson Peyton; sister Amy Jensen; brother Glen Nielsen; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and sister Claudia Squires.