Velma Rose Petersen Jarman returned to her eternal home on March 5, 2024, after 94 years of tried-and-true faithful living. Her eternal companion, Richard Reed Jarman and her son, Mark Randall Jarman, were there to cheerfully and lovingly greet her. Velma leaves behind her sons, Alan Reed (Teri), Earl Chris (Jill), daughter, Terri Evonne (Eric) Palmer and son, Kelly Richard (Joanne). Velma also leaves behind a continuing posterity of 33 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.
Velma was born August 18, 1929, to Niels Andrew and Susie Annie Petersen, in the farming town of Pinedale, Arizona. She started out life tiny, weighing only 4 ½ lbs. She stayed tiny all of her life, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in spunk and stamina. She was the last of 8 children and the first for her mother to have a doctor at her birth. Velma loved her farm life in Pinedale, was a daddy’s girl, loved to dance, loved high school, loved her life-long friends and loved her Savior.
In 1949, a very tall and handsome man with lots of wavy, dark hair swept Velma off her feet and they were married for time and all eternity in the Mesa Temple on December 9, 1949. They built their home in Phoenix and from their love they welcomed and raised their 5 children there.
Velma’s life was always filled with adventure. She loved packing the family camper and enjoying the White Mountains in the summer. Reed was a private pilot and only needed the slightest excuse to go on a trip. Velma was also busy with fund-raising bazaars, decorating for weddings, going on wild trips across the country with her sisters, creating fabulous cookies to deliver for others and she made the most delicious meals from scratch that were feasts never to be forgotten. She had a beautiful voice, played the piano by ear and never went anywhere without her hair done. Most of all, she was a caring, doting wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
Velma had a sincere and valiant testimony of our Father in Heaven’s plan of salvation. She served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Naperville Illinois Mission. This testimony gave her strength during some of the hardest trials that a wife and mother can be asked to bear. She left a legacy of faith for her family to follow and we will forever cherish and honor her. Thank you, Mom, we love you. Till we meet again.
Funeral services will be Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 11 AM, preceded by visitation at 10 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints building on the NW corner of Queen Creek and Crismon, 21550 E Queen Creek Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142. The interment will be at Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, 719 N 27th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 95009.
Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.
I always looked forward to seeing Sister Jarman at church on Sundays where she would greet me with a huge smile and an even bigger hug. Every year at Christmas time, my family would pay her a visit in her home so that we could see her beautiful Christmas tree. I always looked forward to that because it meant we got to chat with her and hear some of the stories of her life. My brother Devin and I got to know her well and she told us to start calling her Grandma Jarman! I loved that. She was very generous to us when we went off to school and then on missions. Grandma Jarman will always hold a special place in my heart ♥️.
I LOVE Sister Jarman! She was the sweetest spunkiest lady and always made you feel so loved. I remember she wrote to me as a missionary, I loved getting her hand written letters and hearing her neat experiences she would write about to me. She is a gem of a person and I always loved her fun outlook on life, sure do love her and will miss her ❤️
Aunt Velma is so special to me. Her brother, my Grandpa Vaughn, passed away long before I got to meet him in this life. My Dad was only 4 when his daddie (Vaughn) passed away. Aunt Velma, with her sisters Laura and Myrtle came to visit my Dad (their nephew) and his family (including me) when we live in Oklahoma on one of their wild adventure trips. I was only 6 or 7 probably. I will never forget the love and acceptance I felt. It was so special to have extended family on my dad’s side, that remembered us and loved us even though their tie to us had long since passed on. Every time I crossed paths with Aunt Velma throughout my life since then, she has given me a big hug and kiss on the cheek. It was so special to feel my Grandpa’s love passed over to me through his sisters. And I have always loved spending time with them, imagining how my Grandpa (their brother) would have been if he were here.
Thank you Aunt Velma for the loving life you lived, and the open arms you always offered me and my family. I can’t wait to see you again someday when I’ve finished my own marathon and it’s time to go home.
What a special lady Velma was and is! I was always amazed at how someone so tiny could be so mighty, such a powerhouse, and all for the good of others. She could make anyone feel happy with her infectious smile and her happy and cheerful countenance. She was electric! She genuinely cared about me and my family. She wrote to our 4 children many times to encourage them while they were away at college, and on their missions. She affectionately became known to our kids as “Grandma Jarman”. She was a friend to me and was always interested in what was happening in my life. I will always be grateful for this sweet lady and the positive affect she had in the Carroll family. We love you dearly Velma!
My son Jacob expressed it all. Having lost my father (Vaughn) at age 4, I always looked forward to meeting up with the Petersen family whenever the opportunity arose. Aunt Velma, the youngest sibling, was always so loving; but so were all the other brothers and sisters. Over my 72+ years I have seen all of my brothers siblings and their spouses pass away one by one. My generation is next, but it will be wonderful to be reunited with wonderful family when that time comes. All my love and condolences to all my cousins and their families at this time. Andrew Petersen
My sincere condolences to the family on the loss of your mom. I knew Reed, Mark, and Chris and Mark briefly. I used to fly with Reed, help crew the tow truck at the races, and hang out at the body shop/towing yard with Alan and Chris in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. Reed helped me get my first car…a ’56 VW Bug! What a great family, and I know you will miss your mom.