Louella Linn Peterson, a long-time teacher, aficionado of literature and the arts, and a woman known for her charm, wit and dignity, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, at Mountain View Center in Rutland. She was 95. Louella lived in Poultney for six decades. She and her husband, Francis "Pete" Peterson, a fellow teacher, moved there from the Pittsburgh area in 1949. He passed away in 2007. Louella taught at area schools for 25 years. Her first job as an educator was in Middletown Springs, in the late 1950s. As was customary in small schools in those days, Louella was called on to teach not just her area of expertise, English, but everything from home economics to physical education. She later taught at Granville (N.Y.) High School. In 1964, Louella was hired to teach English at the Hudson Falls Middle School, where she worked until retirement in 1982. Louella and "Pete" have three children: Eric Peterson of Rutland; Linn Peterson, of Madrid, Spain; and Christina Petty, of Portland, Oregon. The three siblings remember their mother as a person who held very high standards for herself but always sought to understand the values of others. There may still be some Poultney residents who remember the plays that Louella would stage for neighborhood kids in the early 1960s. The little troupe was called "Frog Pond Players." Louella created sets, made costumes, and wrote stories to be acted out, enlisting the Peterson kids and their friends as actors. The summer performances occurred within a circle of poplar trees on the Petersons property, a magical theater of the round. "Pete and Lou," as they were known, were an inseparable pair. A trained singer, Pete taught music at area public schools and at Green Mountain College. Louella taught piano at their home and accompanied her husband when he gave voice lessons. Their house was bursting with books, reflecting Louellas lifelong love of literature. Born Louella Linn, she was a tomboy while growing up in Pennsylvania. Louella was very close to her brother, Johnny. Their father was a deacon of the church, a pillar of the community. After high school, Louella attended Cottey College in Missouri and then Westminster College in Pennsylvania, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She married Francis Peterson on August 14, 1944, in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, while he was in the U.S. Army. Throughout her life, Louella had an unquenchable thirst to keep learning. She liked to try different cuisines, read authors she hadnt read before, and inform herself about current social and political issues. She was keenly interested in other cultures. Louella was a consummate people person. While waiting to be seated at a restaurant, this woman with silver hair and a somewhat mischievous smile might ask for a table near the door, the better to spot anyone who came in that she might know. Inevitably, she would initiate an extended conversation with the waiter or waitress. Louella was so charming that the younger person would suddenly find themselves divulging details about their personal lives. Louella would often tell her children, "I have had a good life." Louella Peterson is survived by her three children _ Eric, Christina (husband, Terrence Petty), and Linn (wife, Diantha McBride). She is also survived by her grandson, Tristan A. Petty, of Portland, Oregon, as well as four nieces. Her beloved brother, John Linn, died in 1998. Funeral services for Louella will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at the Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home in Poultney. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford and the Open Door Mission in Rutland. Arrangements are under the direction of the Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home. Online condolences at www.robertsaubinfuneralhome.com . SERVICES Funeral Service Wednesday, November 27, 2019 11:00 AM Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home 266 ALLEN AVE POULTNEY, Vermont 05764