Nellie Shamo Peterson passed away peacefully on September 3, 2026 in Cedar City, Utah at the age of 95 due to complications from a fall. She was born April 8, 1931, in Hurricane, Washington County, Utah. Her parents were Harry Franklin Shamo and Elizabeth Eager. Nellie was one of 16 children. She had 6 sisters and 9 brothers. Nellie was the last remaining survivor of both the Shamo and Peterson families.
After eleven years in Hurricane, her family moved to Panguitch, Utah when she was in the 6th grade. She lived there until she was 15, at which time she moved to Cedar City. She met her future husband Peter Howard Peterson there. They dated from August 1948 until they married on February 5, 1949. The marriage was solemnized May 10, 1980, in the St George Utah Temple.
She was preceded in death by her husband Howard in December of 2018 and by two grandsons years earlier.
She is survived by four sons, Howard Kay (Patti), Bryce (Laurel), Michael (Linda), and Jeff (Teri). She has 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Nellie was a waitress for many years and then she worked at the state liquor store as a clerk, then retired as the manager. After retiring she and Howard spent their winters in Quartzsite and Beaver Dam, Arizona, which they truly enjoyed very much. She loved crocheting and her family has many beautiful pieces of her work, she also loved playing games like cards, bingo, and dominos.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 11:00AM at The Cedar Stake Center (155 E 400 S, Cedar City Utah). Viewings will be held Friday, September 18, 2026, from 5:00–7:00PM at the Southern Utah Mortuary (190 N 300 W, Cedar City, Utah), and Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 9:30–10:30AM at the church prior to the funeral. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery, under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. To view the livestream of the service and share online condolences, please visit www.mortuary.org.
We would like to offer a special thank you to all the staff of Brookdale and Our House for all the care and companionship she received there over the last years of her life. She often said how she enjoyed living there and enjoyed all the friends she spent so much of her time with. We also want to thank the caregiving staff at ICH, Cedar Health and Rehabilitation, and Ethan Bunker for their loving help and care during her final time here.