Dolores Marie Josephine Konschella Petersen

Three weeks after celebrating her eighty-ninth birthday, Dolores Marie Josephine Konschella Petersen passed away as a result of Acute Myeloid Leukemia on July 10, 2025 in Farmington, Utah.

Dolores was born on June 21, 1936, at St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She was the first-born child of Richard Fritz Konschella and Frieda Elizabeth Geiselhart Konschella, both immigrants from Germany.

Dolores’ father was a men’s fashion designer, and his career provided her with the opportunity to live in many different places during her childhood. These included Chicago, Illinois, Rochester, New York, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Baltimore Maryland. As a child and teenager, Dolores developed a love for books and reading. She also learned to play the piano and gained an appreciation for art, flowers and the beauty of nature.

When she was eight years old, Dolores was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Palmyra, New York. As a teenager, she returned to Palmyra to participate in the church’s Hill Cumorah Pageant. Dolores was active in the Church throughout her life and served in numerous teaching and service callings.

While on a break from her studies at Brigham Young University and visiting her parents in Baltimore, Dolores met Harold (Hal) Merrell Petersen from Elwood, Utah. They soon fell in love and traveled back to Utah to be sealed in the Logan Temple on September 5, 1956.

The young couple settled down in Washington, DC where Hal completed his schooling at the American University and Dolores worked at George Washington University. They also had their first three children during this time – Nancy, Mark and Marianne.

After eight years in Baltimore, Dolores and Hal relocated to Logan, Utah and added three more children to their family – Eric, Donna, and David.

In 1973, they purchased 18 buffalo and moved to a 33-acre parcel of land in Nibley, Utah. It was here that Dolores made the adjustment from “city girl” and embraced country life. She was especially interested in Western and Native American culture, art and jewelry. She and Hal participated in numerous Mountain Man Rendezvous and Native American events where they supplied the buffalo meat. Dolores and her four youngest children also performed for several years in the annual Festival of the American West Pageant at Utah State University.

Dolores worked as a dispensing optician at Logan Optical for fourteen years. She loved interacting with her co-workers and customers and was very good at providing them with an excellent experience.

On October 21, 2016, Hal passed away unexpectedly. As a result, in the summer of 2017, Dolores moved to Fruit Heights, Utah to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Layne Butterfield.

In January 2024, Dolores moved to Legacy House of Park Lane in Farmington, Utah. She loved making new friends and participating in the church branch and other activities held there.

Dolores had a great passion for genealogy. As the only child of converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she felt compelled to search out, identify and connect as many of her ancestors as possible through temple ordinances. Thousands in her family tree have been blessed through her efforts. She greatly anticipated meeting them all when she passed to the other side!

Along with her love of Family History and genealogy, Dolores will be remembered for her love of people and interest in hearing everyone’s story. Many will miss her love and friendship.

Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, Richard F. and Frieda E. Geiselhart Konschella and her husband, Harold M. Petersen.

She was the mother of six children: Nancy (Kit) Dahlstrom, Mark (Tonya) Petersen, Marianne (Doug) Hobbs, Eric (Rich Murrieta) Petersen, Donna (Layne) Butterfield, David (Jennifer) Petersen

Dolores leaves behind her 6 children, 13 Grandchildren, and 22 Great Grandchildren

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 18, 2025, at 11:00 am at the South Mountain Road Chapel, 901 S. Mountain Rd., Fruit Heights, UT. Friends and family may visit from 9:30 to 10:30 am prior to the services. Interment will be at the Riverview Cemetery in Tremonton, UT.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to services and will be posted below.