Over summer break, Elizabethtown College lost two members of its community. Textbook/Receiving Manager Debbie Peterson passed away Wednesday, Aug. 8 at the age of 60. Peterson battled breast cancer for six months before passing away.
Peterson joined the Etown community in 2005, working as an administrative assistant for the education and computer science departments. College Store Director Susan Doremus remembered Peterson working with the College Store for a few summers while Doremus was Textbook Manager.
When the former director of the College Store left, Doremus took over, and Peterson accepted the position of the Textbook Manager after Doremus approached her for the job.
Peterson is remembered for her work ethic and her drive to help others in many capacities, especially the Etown students.
“[Peterson] did everything back at that job for the students,” Doremus said. “She was all about the students.”
In addition to her willingness to help the Etown students in her various positions during her time at the College, Peterson was also an active volunteer, and is remembered to have attended Relay for Life to support the community.
Her husband, Brad Peterson, spoke highly of her desire to help those in her community.
“She lived with purpose, always reaching out to help others, and remained selfless to the end,” B. Peterson said in a message of remembrance that was sent to the College community.
D. Peterson’s presence in the community will be missed by her colleagues, friends and family.
“We’ll never find another Debbie,” Doremus said. “She was a blessing to the bookstore and the College and all those who knew her.”
“She was a loving, caring wife, mother, sister, aunt and grandmother, and a friend who will be dearly missed,” D. Peterson’s obituary, which was released to the campus community, said.
Donations made in D. Peterson’s name can be sent to Elizabethtown College, United Way of Lancaster County or Hospice and Community Care. More information on how to donate can be found in the Campus News emails sent over the summer.
Former student Joey Kobus passed away Tuesday, Aug. 14. While Kobus withdrew from the College, he will be given the same dedications at Baccalaureate and Commencement in his honor as a current student.
During his time at Etown, Kobus was a double major in political science and Japanese, and he was a part of Momentum. He was also a member of the Jay’s Nest staff.
Adjunct Faculty in Latin Jennifer Besse remembers meeting Kobus in Momentum, where he stood out to her among the other students.
“I immediately noticed him, even among all the other students in Momentum, because he was so engaged in conversation,” Besse said.
In Momentum, Besse runs the socratic seminar sessions, and she recalled asking a question about what students think of when thinking of a hero. Besse was surprised by the thoughtfulness of his answers and his kindness during their sessions.
“He was comfortable creating space for other people,” Besse said.
Director of Student Transition Programs Jean-Paul Benowitz also remembered Kobus’s time in Momentum in a statement he released around the time he learned of Kobus’s passing.
“We are grateful for the time we were able to know him and for his contributions to the College, particularly in the Momentum program,” Benowitz said in his statement.
The students at the College who knew Kobus remembered him for his kindness. Senior Brooke Mazzone knew Kobus about a year before his passing.
“In the time that I got to know him, he made such an impact on my life, and that says a lot about a person,” Mazzone said. She also remembered him as a fun-loving, genuine person.
“I just want him to be remembered for who he was,” Mazzone said. “You won’t meet anyone more genuine than what he was.”
While talking of Kobus, Besse referenced a quote she translated from Cicero, De Senectute 19:17 that expressed sadness whenever someone young passes away.
“All things that happen naturally should be thought of as good. And what is more natural than for the old to die? But if the same thing happens to the young, it violates and baffles nature. Therefore, it seems to me that when the young die, it’s like a vibrant flame being crushed by a flood of water, but when the old die, it’s like a fire burns out on its own without being put out by anything,” Besse translated.
Students, faculty and staff members who knew Kobus or D. Peterson and need counseling can contact Counseling Services at (717) 361-1405, or through their office at BSC 216 for an appointment or walk-in services.
