Brit Aabakken Peterson, age 91, died peacefully December 1st, 2010. She lived in Cape Coral, FL and Sterling, VA. A memorial service will be held on December 10th at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Leesburg, VA.

Brit was born in Oslo, Norway on 17 February 1919. She immigrated to the US in 1939 and married Roy R. Peterson in 1943. She attended Swarthmore University and worked for the Norwegian Seaman's Church in Philadelphia during WW II. She later worked for World Book Encyclopedia, as a proofread editor for the Loudoun Times Mirror and finally retired from the National Geographic Society.

She was a major contributor to "Ski for Light", a non-profit organization that teaches the blind to cross country ski. She was also a member of the AARP, NARFE, The Women's Club of Loudoun, the Sons of Norway, the Norwegian Society of Washington, the Norwegian Seaman's Church, the Norwegian-American Historical Society, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Leesburg, Messiah Lutheran Church of Cape Coral, Florida, and the Norwegian Women's Club of Washington. She was a long time volunteer for Loudoun Healthcare and a lifetime member of Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American museum in Iowa.

She was predeceased by her husband, Roy Peterson who died in 1995. She is survived by her sister, Marit Grachow of Arlington, VA, her brother, Jo Aabakken of Norway, two sons, Alf H. Peterson, Glenn R. Peterson, daughter-in-law, Deborah A. Peterson, two granddaughters, three grandsons, and two great-granddaughters.

A memorial service will be at the Holy Trinity Luheran Church, 605 W. Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20175 on Friday, December 10, 2010 starting at 11:00 a.m. Officiating will be Pastor Thomas Prinz.

Arrangements are being made by Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg. Her family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to "Ski for Light", 1455 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408