West Bend, WI – Saying Goodbye to Myra Peters July 2,1929 – August 31, 2025, West Bend, WI
1929 was a very good year when Myra Marie Fierek entered the world on July 2nd straight off the wagon where her mother and father, Victoria and Stanley, were making hay on their dairy farm in Elderon, Wisconsin. Born on the kitchen table of an old logging camp house, she already had an older sister, Arlene, and would have two younger twin brothers, Arden and Allen. Together they shared in an idyllic farm life of fluffy collie dogs, milk-pail cats, softly lowing Guernsey cows (with always one Jersey) and piebald draft horses. There were oily machine sheds, fragrant haymows, mysterious blacksmith shops and endless golden fields as far as a girl could run, until reaching her magical Comet Creek where little “Minchi” would listen to its melodic song and wade in its softly swirling pools.
Proudly Polish to her core, lively square dances and polkas permeated Myra’s youth and created a love of music. She would be known as “that little girl who sang in the barn”. Elmyra (her birth name) was sociable and precocious, entering her grade school talent contest claiming to play the piano when she had never touched a key. She loved to laugh and was never afraid to get up in front of a group of people, easily charming her classmates in the one room Fairview School she walked to daily.
Myra attended Wittenberg High School where she was chosen to represent Marathon County as their “Dairy Queen.” The “pretty brunette” competed in the Wisconsin Alice in Dairyland Contest where she was first runner up—a standing her proud father did not agree with. When the winner could not complete her duties and Myra was approached to take the role, he stoutly refused on her behalf.
While in high school Myra was inspired by her Home Economics teacher to become a teacher herself, and attended UW Madison, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics. Upon her graduation in 1952, Myra was hired as the Washington County Home Economist for the State of Wisconsin and was listed as a UW Faculty Instructor.
Myra moved to West Bend and worked for seven years as the County Home Agent, traveling throughout the area educating women about effective home management and essential skills of family living, and sharing information in a weekly newspaper column. She was a proud and professional homemaker. Working with 4-H she judged baking contests for State and County Fairs and loved representing her community with an easy smile and effortless expertise.
Then came the fateful day when she “ran out of gas” in front of the Orrin Peters farm on the corner of Paradise and Main. When their home-builder son, Glenn, answered the door to help, the rest was history. Glenn said life was boring until Myra came along, and the perfect match married in 1959. Myra chose to conclude her career with the County to focus on community organizations and services. While raising three children, Steve, Jeannine and David, she was a dedicated volunteer and also continued as a freelance writer for the West Bend Daily News. She wrote over 650 weekly columns, the last few years entitled “The Woman’s Touch” and was a popular local radio personality.
Myra specialized in health and wellness and became a respected local resource on nutrition and healthy eating, believing prevention is the best cure. In 1981 she came out with her “Simply Delicious Sprouts” book, which was available at her speaking engagements throughout southern Wisconsin. She was very active in her church, St. Frances Cabrini, with the American Cancer Society, and as a Lioness member.
She and Glenn were members of dance clubs, dinner clubs, and cribbage clubs. They traveled to Mexico and Europe and took family ski trips to Upper Michigan. She played the guitar, and eventually actually took piano lessons, was a talented calligrapher and natural folk artist. Myra joined a baseball team (where she always brought the refreshments), and loved to entertain, freely sharing her love of food with friends. She penned the lyrics to a catchy country tune she would sing in fun called, “I’m a Hard-working Woman but I Like My Lovin’ Too!” And she is fondly remembered for hanging out of the front door as she waved goodbye from her porch, sometimes adding a Gene Autry yodel.
Myra had an open heart for people and a generous spirit. She never wanted anyone to leave her home empty-handed. Growing up on the farm the kitchen was the center of life and there was always room at her table. She loved serving big lunches for Glenn and the boys, along with anyone else who could come to eat from the construction job sites. The family will lovingly remember her spicy gingerbread cookies and warm apple crisp, her bright flowers and big gardens, but mostly they will remember her lively stories, her silly jokes and her vibrant laughter. Maybe you can even hear it now.
Myra is survived by her dear husband of 66 years, Glenn, and their three children: Steve (Linna) Peters; Jeannine (Michael) Peters Belongia; and David (Kimberly) Peters. She leaves eight grandchildren: Nicholas (fiancé Paden Bergdall) Peters, Alexandra (Mason) Anklam, Joseph Peters, Samuel (Taylor) Peters, Ave Maria Peters, Valen Peters, Asher Peters and Thomas Wang; two great-grandchildren, Waylon and Tennessee May Anklam; and a very special great-great-niece Ignatia Marie Rainer. She also leaves her sister-and-brothers-in-law; Audrey Yahr, Willard Peters, and Elaine (Al) Prost, along with numerous beloved nieces and nephews and too many cherished friends to name.
Phillip Funeral Home is assisting the family. No services are planned at this time. Glenn intends to spread Myra’s ashes on her beloved Elderon farm in the spirit of this poem he wrote that, “on a quiet spring day you may just hear a faint ‘baa baa baa’ as a new fawn is being born, and in a few short weeks its mother will take it to visit Myra’s gravesite to eat the tender clover, so a new life continues on the grace of the one that came before. As this goes on year after year, may Myra also live on in the fields and creeks where she spent so many happy times. Myra’s earthly journey has ended, but her spiritual journey goes on and on.”
Condolences may be shared with the family care of Jeannine Peters Belongia, 7240 Susan Drive, West Bend, WI 53090. Memorials will be donated to the West Bend Lioness/Lions Club to continue the spirit of Myra’s work in the community and know they will be much appreciated.
West Bend – The community lost a remarkable woman on Sunday morning, August 31, 2025, with the passing of Myra Peters, 96. Born July 2, 1929, in the small town of Elderon, Wisconsin, near Wittenberg, Myra carried with her the values of resourcefulness, hard work, and joy in sharing knowledge.
“My mom was a wonderful, lovely little lady,” said her daughter Jeannine Peters Belongia. “She was vivacious and vibrant and always open to sharing information. People leaned on her as a local resource, and she was so proud to make a difference in the lives of families.”
After attending Wittenberg High School, Myra found her calling as a Washington County Home Agent, a role that might sound unusual today but was essential in the 1950s.
“A home agent was like a professional mom,” Jeannine said. “She knew how to do everything. She would travel around the county, going into people’s homes and teaching women life skills—everything from baking bread and removing stains to repairing radios and caning chairs. She was teaching home science before it even had a name.”
Nancy Mehring remembered Myra Peters, as a forever friend whose charming creativity touched everyone she met.
“Through thoughtful articles in the local newspapers she made our community shine. Passionate about nutrition, Myra shared unique recipes and wellness tips to keep others healthy. She will be remembered for her laughter, her fun spirit and her deep pride for being Polish.”
Myra’s gift for teaching carried into countless classes, workshops, and county fair contests. She often judged pies, cookies, and baking competitions at the Washington County Fair, her eye always searching for a perfectly flaky pie crust or a well-risen loaf of bread.
Nancy Van Vooren of West Bend remembered times spent with her friend Myra, and she quickly realized life around her would never be ordinary.
One of her earliest memories was supper in Myra’s Garden. “She served us food with real flowers on it,” Nancy said. “I was a little afraid, to tell you the truth. But she assured me they were edible without killing you. I bit into one and it wasn’t too bad. That was Myra—always unique, always a step ahead of everyone else.”
Food and humor seemed to follow Myra everywhere. When sprouts became the craze, she packed up her bags of supplies and was invited to little churches across the county to give talks. Nancy tagged along, carrying the bags and chuckling at Myra’s ability to turn nutrition into a performance. “She was a riot,” Nancy said. “You could hardly stand it sometimes—you’d be laughing so much.”
One of their great adventures together was learning to make strudel. After reading one of Myra’s newspaper columns, Nancy joined Myra and another friend for lessons from Mrs. Knable, a Yugoslavian farmwoman who lived on Arthur Road.
The three women practiced, pulled dough, and fussed over fillings until they felt like “sort-of experts.” They even threw a dinner party in Mrs. Knable’s honor, proudly presenting their own specialties—only to have her arrive with a great big box of strudel.
“Well, nobody wanted our food,” Nancy remembered. “Everybody wanted strudel!”
That became the story of Myra’s circle: laughter, food, and learning. They were even invited to Cedar Lake Home to give a demonstration. Residents peeled apples while Nancy and the others explained their steps. “Of course, one lady told me I was making strudel all wrong,” Nancy laughed again. “But that was the joy of it—everything with Myra turned into a laugh.”
Through all the fun, Nancy admired Myra’s depth. As Washington County’s home economist, she educated families, wrote witty columns that rivaled Irma Bombeck, and kept homemakers inspired with practical wisdom. Later, she devoted her time to helping others—whether driving cancer patients to appointments or visiting people she had once served through her work.
“She was different from anyone I’d ever known,” Nancy said. “Unique, thoughtful, hilarious—and always teaching me something new. I’ll miss her dearly.”
Perhaps most remembered, though, was Myra’s weekly newspaper column, The Woman’s Touch, which ran in the West Bend News for many years. In it, Myra blended recipes with stories of local people, preserving both flavors and memories of the community.
Nutrition became her passion, especially her quirky and beloved belief in sprouts. “She was putting sprouts in everything,” Jeannine said. “Her book was called Simply Delicious Sprouts. She had sprouts in breads, casseroles, even appetizers. I used to check the ground beef wrapper to make sure she hadn’t slipped sprouts into the hamburgers.”
Myra shared her sprout know-how across southeastern Wisconsin, giving talks at schools, community centers, and health programs long before “wellness” became a modern buzzword. “She really believed feeding the family was essential, and that a meal at the table was important,” Jeannine said. “She was decades ahead of her time when it came to healthy living.”
That belief spilled over into her children’s lives as well. The family opened Natural Energies, a health store on Paradise Drive in West Bend, inspired by Myra’s passion. She often gave talks at Paradise Springs Health and Wellness Center, where crowds packed in to hear her advice on nutrition, supplements, and the latest in healthy living.
“She could always draw a crowd,” Jeannine said. “And she always brought samples. People loved her for it.”
Myra was also remembered as the family’s stain expert, the one who could rescue spa robes after a tea bag was left in a pocket or fix a favorite shirt with the right mixture of soap and patience. “She really was the go-to for everything,” Jeannine said.
Married to Glenn Peters, the builder (not to be confused with Glenn of Glenn’s Grill), Myra built her life in West Bend, raising her family while making her mark on the broader community.
“She just thought West Bend was great,” Jeannine said. “She loved being a part of the community.”
Jeannine summed up her mother’s life in one simple phrase: “1929 was a very good year. They just don’t make them like that anymore.”
A complete obituary on Myra Peters will be published shortly.
Feel free to share your stories and memories of Myra Peters.
