Miriam Lorch Peterson, 94, of Colts Neck, passed away peacefully June 23, 2026, with loved ones by her side.
A retired elementary school teacher, she started her career teaching three grades in a two-room schoolhouse in Cheesequake. She also taught in Woodbridge Township schools, and the last 20 years before retirement in Colts Neck schools.
Raised in Woodbridge, she married her beloved husband Erwin “Pete” Peterson in 1949; they enjoyed 61 years together before he passed away in 2010. They started married life in Rahway and Colonia, moved to Lincroft in 1967, eventually settled in Matawan in 1991, and moved to Colts Neck last year.
After retirement, with her trusty camera in hand, she traveled to all seven continents. Her family loved hearing about hot air ballooning in Kenya, walking the Great Wall of China, seeing the polar bears in Churchill, and the giant tortoises of Galapagos, to name a few. During her last trip through the Panama Canal, she stopped to zip line through the jungle in Costa Rica – at age 87!
Aside from travel, Miriam played the piano beautifully, sang in many choirs, made too many baskets to count, and was a wicked pinochle player. But most of all, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, especially during the lazy days of summer in Loveladies.
She was predeceased by her parents, J. Russell and Ethel P. Lorch; her brothers, James Lorch and Robert Lorch; and her son-in-law, James Ientile. She is survived by her daughter Dianne and son-in-law Kevin Silver of Township of Washington, and her daughter Sandy Ientile of Colts Neck. She leaves behind her five grandchildren, Matthew Silver, Kristen McQueen, Jeffrey Silver, Rocky Ientile and Peter Ientile, as well as six great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Friends and family were invited to pay their respects July 1 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, followed by a service at the Middletown United Methodist Church. Donations in Miriam’s memory can be made to the National Wildlife Federation at nwf.org and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org.
The article originally appeared in the July 2 – 8, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
