COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – (May 14, 2019) – Janice Peterson, NavPress (@NavPress) author and beloved widow of pastor and author Eugene Peterson, passed away Friday, May 10, in Kalispell, Montana, where she was cared for in an assisted living facility. NavPress published Janice’s Becoming Gertrude: How Our Friendships Shape Our Faith, her first book, in November 2018. Eugene Peterson passed away on October 22, 2018.
“When I first met Jan, it was very clear: This is the woman behind the man,” said Don Pape, publisher, NavPress. “She selflessly stood by Eugene, yet very much had her own voice. She was amazing—a spunky Southern belle. I loved her candor. I loved her little smirk. I loved when she’d say, ‘Oh, Don . . .’—knowing she was going to correct me on one matter or another. Here was a woman who loved her husband, her family, and her Jesus. I have learned so much in just being present with her. A grand lady who is leaving behind a huge aching hole in my soul, but I am so very pleased she is now reunited with her Gene.”
Janice (née Stubbs) married Eugene in 1958. She is survived by their three children—Karen, Eric, and Leif Peterson—and nine grandchildren.
Said Janice in a Christianity Today article about Becoming Gertrude, “These years later, I’m well aware that being a pastor’s wife brings with it a lot of demands and a lot of time spent serving others. But the amazing thing about service is that it rarely returns void, even if we don’t see the end results ourselves.”
Becoming Gertrude is Janice’s wisdom on the beauty of spiritual friendship and God’s unfolding grace over the course of a life lived for Him. Jan used the term spiritual friendshipto capture this idea of journeying with others through life, sharing experiences and wisdom and seeking God together.
Eugene Peterson wrote more than 30 books, including a number of volumes that were assembled into his best-known and most popular work, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (2002).
The NavPress mission is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through THE MESSAGE Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to peoples’ lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress for the future. NavPress helps lead in the mission of making disciples by providing rich content that brings spiritual impact and life transformation.
