Anne-Luise Petereit, 89, of Atlantic Highlands, passed away peacefully June 9, 2024. Born in Husum, Germany, she immigrated to the United States in 1962. She married her husband, Lutz (who immigrated from Germany in 1958) on July 23, 1966. In 1971, they settled and raised their family in Atlantic Highlands.
Anne-Luise (known as Anne) held numerous jobs (and volunteer jobs) but is best known as the Atlantic Highlands Flower Lady, who beautified First Avenue and the harbor’s many flower beds and flower pots. She would even climb a ladder to get to the top of the stone piers on the Grand Avenue Stone Bridge to plant flowers. She also planted and maintained the tulips in the median on Memorial Parkway.
After Anne immigrated to the U.S., she worked at a German deli in Edison. She had been friends with the owners while still in Germany. Lutz frequented that deli and the owner introduced them – the rest is history. Anne and Lutz settled in an apartment in Edison and she worked at a company called RCA assembling electronics.
After moving to Atlantic Highlands, she raised her family and held many volunteer and other jobs. She was a very active volunteer in many organizations over the years, such as the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School PTA/PTO, the Garden Club, the Historical Society, and the Recreation Department. She worked at The Attic (a consignment shop) in Rumson. She also grew her gardening business one client at a time, having upwards of 20 clients. She would wake before dawn and water all the barrels of flowers on First Avenue and the harbor before most of us were awake, then work in the gardens of her many clients. She also maintained her own personal flower, vegetable and fruit tree garden. For many years the elementary school classes would walk to her house for her Tulip Festival. She would grow her own plants and sell them or give them away. When she saw a “dead” plant discarded on the side of the road on garbage day, she would bring it home and bring it to life.
Anne-Luise is survived by her two children, Michael Petereit of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Lisa Petereit Ramsthaler and her husband Ken of Brick; twin younger brothers in Germany, Gunter Dau-Schmidt and his wife Lenchen and their children and Walter Dau-Schmidt and his wife Monika and their children; her brother-in-law Hans-Jurgen Petereit and his wife Christiane of Germany, their son Fabian Petereit and his wife Sabine of Germany, and their daughter Katrin Hobbs and her husband Dale of Livingston, Montana.
She was predeceased by her baby sister Ingrid, her father Johannes, her mother Alwine, her younger brother Heinz, and her husband Lutz.
Anne was a very hard and dedicated worker and a loving and supportive wife and mother. She is finally doing again what she loves best, which is gardening in God’s garden.
Visitation was June 14 at the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown. Funeral services were June 15 at the funeral home, with interment at Bay View Cemetery, Leonardo. A repast followed.
The article originally appeared in the June 20 – 26, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
