A Toast To Pete-e Petersen, A Legendary Pioneer Of LGBTQ Rights

It’s a sad day but also a joyous one…when beloved friends, family and community members die, we are naturally sad but it’s also a time to remember the joy they brought us. And, for the many, many people touched by PETE-E PETERSEN, it’s definitely a time to celebrate all the good times she brought to her world as a pioneer for out proud women across the region. She’s probably best remembered for many as being one half of the first same gendered couple to be given a marriage license in Washington State along her her wife and partner, Jane Abbott Lighty.

Pete-e and Jane made headlines on December 6th, 2012 when they received the first marriage license in King County after Washington State had passed Referendum 74 making same sex marriage legal in the state. Days later, Pete-e and Jane married during a performance of the Seattle Men’s Chorus at Benaroya Hall. A couple for 35 years at the time of this wedding, both Jane and Pete-e had been instrumental in the creation of the Seattle Women’s Chorus and active members for many, many years.

That 2012 wedding was actually the 2nd for the couple who had married in a church ceremony at Seattle First Baptist Church on October 29th, 2005 surrounded by a church full of family and friends. The couple was featured in Seattle area filmmaker Drew Emery’s documentary “Inlaws & Outlaws” which was instrumental in the fight for marriage equality.

Jane said this of Pete-e on that October 2005 wedding day:

Pete-e Petersen’s life journey ended on Saturday, October 4, 2025. After a long life that included a career as an air evacuation nurse during the Korean War and raising a daughter among her many accomplishments, Pete-e will be cherished and remembered by many for many years to come. She is survived by her wife, Jane Abbott Lighty.

A toast to Pete-e Petersen!

SALUD!