Family of A R P and Olga LEZANSKY

PETERSON,Olga (née Lezansky) Olga Peterson (née Lezansky) passed away at her home in Grande Prairie on Monday, January 4th, 2016 at the age of 82 years. Born in Vegreville, Alberta, Olga was an outstanding young student and pianist at an early age, and carried with her a love of music all her life. She married Roy Peterson, who was then an RCMP officer, and moved to Grande Prairie in 1955 with their infant son Rick, who was followed in 1957 by her other son, Randy. In Grande Prairie, Olga soon became a strong supporter of the minor hockey leagues, helping her children and those of countless others get ready for games, drive to tournaments and hockey schools, and stand out in the snow banks at the Bear Creek Flats and watch the action after getting off her shift as an X-ray technician at the hospital. She was named Hockey Mother of the Year at one point for her efforts. She also was an ardent fan of the Grande Prairie Athletics, working the concession stand with Max Henning, Elvie Wright and others, and participating in “boiler room” sessions after the final whistle, rehashing the game, trading jokes and banter, and genuinely enjoying the company and friendship of so many people who became such strong friends over the years. Olga had an eye and a taste for many of the finer things in life. She was an avid reader and loved to travel, flying with her sister Cheri to Russia for the 1974 Canada-Russia hockey series and then to Europe on a number of occasions. One of the highlights of her life was a trip to Italy in 2000 where she enjoyed touring many of the Tuscan castles, restaurants, vineyards and village squares. Olga was an astute business person who excelled in a retail environment. She was very good with numbers and records, possessed an eye for fashion trends, and had the ability to understand what customers wanted. She translated that into opening “Joanna’s Fashions” in the newly opened Prairie Mall, one of Grande Prairie’s first modern fashion stores, and then took her talents with her for more than two decades as a valued member of the team at Northern Vision Centre. One of her greatest loves was animals, with many dogs playing a part of her life, and those of her children. From raising more than 20 puppies at a time in the basement of her home as a young mother, to introducing Boomer, her Yorkshire Terrier, into her life four years ago as she entered retirement, Olga’s love and empathy for her dogs was a singularly defining trait of her character. She is survived by her sister Cheri of Edmonton, by her son Rick and his partner Irish Webb, of West Vancouver, by her son Randy and his partner Donna-Lynne Larson, as well as by her grandchildren Stephan and Sarah of Montreal, and Léa of Calgary, and by Boomer. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 12th at 11:00 am in the Rotary Room of the Paradise Inn & Conference Centre at 11201-100 Avenue in Grande Prairie. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Grande Prairie SPCA in her name.