4 LANES, AT LAST

Last week’s Highway 14 opening proved to be one of those bittersweet celebrations for Rep. John Petersburg of Waseca.
While he celebrated the roadway’s opening with hundreds of others, Petersburg was also mourning the loss of his wife, Susan, who died less than 18 hours before the event after an eight-month battle with cancer.
Petersburg had planned to be at the celebration even with his wife sick at home and requiring constant care. He said he had “sitters” lined up to care for her so he could be at the celebration. However, they weren’t needed as she died at 4 p.m. on Nov. 8 with the veteran lawmaker at her side.
And Petersburg said missing the Highway 14 opening wasn’t even an option.
“I looked at how important that project was to the community,” Petersburg said. “It certainly was more important than my grief.”
At last week’s opening, Petersburg reminded the audience how more than “50 years of people’s hopes, dreams and hard work” went into getting Highway 14 accomplished.
Petersburg played an instrumental role in the ultimate passage of legislation to fund Highway 14, though he said he often tried to do so behind the scenes. He said Highway 14 was one of the biggest campaign promises he made to voters during his re-election bids in recent years.
“It was over 10 years of work, and Susan was a part of that,” Petersburg said, adding she would have wanted him to attend the Highway 14 opening.
The Highway 14 project was personal in other ways for Petersburg. He grew up on a farm north of Claremont, less than three miles from the new roadway. He also served on the Claremont School Board and later Triton School Board.
Asked if he ever thought Highway 14 would be completed, Petersburg said: “Of course I did. I just didn’t know when it would happen.”
“If you keep trying, it will work. Eventually, you are successful. You have to believe in what you are doing.”
The past year has been rough for Petersburg. In March, Susan Petersburg was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The representative found himself focused on caring for his wife, though he said he was still able to handle his legislative duties.
“I didn’t go up to the Twin Cities as much as I had before,” Petersburg said. “One of the benefits of having Zoom meetings is that I could do it from downstairs (of the house).”
Before her cancer diagnosis, Susan Petersburg often helped her husband in his bid for office. “She enjoyed door-knocking and campaigning more than I did,” said John Petersburg, adding that she did not enjoy all the political meetings.
Petersburg said he was committed to supporting his wife during her battle. By July, she needed constant care as it became increasingly difficult for her to stand up. “Her health and strength continued to quickly decline,” he said. “It deteriorated her muscles. Her arms and legs became just bone.”
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments did not work for Susan Petersburg, according to John Petersburg, who commended his wife for deciding on her own to go into hospice care at home. That was Aug. 1.
By the end, Susan Petersburg was unable to do anything on her own. “I had to feed her, take care of her and bathe her,” he said. “It was the reverse of a growing baby.”
Despite the struggles at the end, John Petersburg was happy with their 12-year marriage. “Susan and I had a wonderful life together,” he said. “When Susan and I were together, we did the things that were important to each other.”
John Petersburg said their strong faith helped them through this difficult time. They are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, where he had been the church administrator for many years before retiring a few years ago.
Through it all, John Petersburg said he has learned one thing.
“We need to treat each other like they are the greatest treasure that we have in life,” John Petersburg said. “They need to hear that. We shouldn’t leave things unsaid.”
This isn’t the first battle with cancer for John Petersburg. His previous wife, Carol, died of lung cancer in 2007.