Arlene F. Petersen, 88, of DeWitt and formerly of Grinnell, died on Saturday, July 12, 2014, in DeWitt. A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the Smith Funeral Home from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A private family interment will be held at the Chester Cemetery near Grinnell. Arlene was born on December 18, 1925, in Custer County, Nebraska, to Jacob and Barbara (Seng) Sittler. She attended rural schools in Custer County, graduating in 1943. On January 17, 1951, Arlene was united in marriage to Claris "Pete" Petersen in Hastings, Nebraska. The couple settled in Grinnell, Iowa, in 1967. While there, Arlene was employed as a cook at Grinnell General Hospital and St. Francis Manor in Grinnell. Pete preceded Arlene in death on May 6, 2007. Arlene moved to DeWitt in May of 2013 to be near her family. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and was a lifelong member of the Grinnell Grange. Arlene loved to volunteer and did so at Second Mile in Grinnell for many years. Arlene and her husband had a very kind spirit which they shared with many foster children over the years. Surviving are her daughters, Debra Petersen Adams of DeWitt, Iowa, and Cerena (Marty) Withers of Salt Lake City, Utah; grandchildren, David Petersen, Billie Jo (Gus) Vanderbilt, Stan (Jamie) McGowan and Nicole (James) Lynn; several great-grandchildren; a sister, Virginia Craft of Hastings; numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Arlene was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Bill Adams, her parents, a son, Jim and brothers, Ed, Dick, Pat and Frank. Memorials may be made to Camp Courageous, Westwing Place or Genesis Hospice.