Dorothy Louise Kingsbury

Dorothy Louise Kingsbury—writer, painter, bibliophile, and accomplished traveler—passed away July 15, 2020, in St. George, Utah. Her younger sister Kathy was by her side. Louise was born September 22, 1946 to Ilene Hanks Kingsbury and Ronald Lovesy Kingsbury—the fifth of six children. She married L. Leon Peterson Jr. in November 1973; the two later divorced. A lifelong University of Utah enthusiast, Louise earned her B.A. in English and journalism from the U in 1969, followed by a master’s degree in journalism in 1971. From 1970 to 1976, She worked for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington D.C. as a Foreign Service information officer and associate editor, helping found Horizons USA magazine. After spending a few years teaching journalism at both Weber State and the U of U, Louise embarked on a 35-year career as an editor with the USDA Forest Service, where she was honored with several merit awards, including for work on a presidential commission on the environment. Raised in a family of writers, Louise developed an incurable addiction to the written word early on. Throughout her life and career she penned dozens of magazine articles (for local to international publications), and edited or contributed to hundreds of scientific papers, technical reports, and books. She curated a home library capable of inspiring jealousy in any book lover and was constantly reading until a stroke debilitated her in February 2020. Louise loved to travel and filled her home with a curio of treasures collected from countries far and wide. A headstrong, independent, and incredibly funny woman, she made and maintained lifelong friendships wherever she went. Louise is survived by her three sisters—Frances, Elizabeth, and Kathleen—as well as a collection of loving nieces and nephews, many of whom viewed her as another parent. Per her wishes, funeral services will not be held. Louise preferred that upon her death, those that would like to mourn her go out to a nice dinner and watch a sad movie together. She taught formally for a few years, edited professionally for a good many more, but those of us who loved her never stopped learning from her. She taught us the value of independence, generosity, and friendship. We remember her as she lived, a good book in one hand, a glass of wine in another, watching the sunset on a far away shore. In lieu of flowers, please donate to an environmental, humanitarian, civil liberties, or currently relevant public health cause.

Dorothy Louise Kingsbury

September 22, 1946 - July 15, 2020