Peterson tribute recalls fond memories

STACY PETERSON Husband does not attend
January 21, 2008

Candace Aikin is certain she will see her niece Stacy Peterson again — but not in this life.

“We have a lot of peace that she’s in heaven and that we’ll see her again,” Aikin said during a gathering Sunday in Bolingbrook to remember the missing mother of two.

Kerry Simmons, surrounded by members of Stacy Peterson’s family, addresses the media before a vigil for the missing Peterson on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday was Stacy Peterson’s 24th birthday.

“We love her,” said Aikin, who flew in from her home in California for the tribute at Living Water Community Church. “She’s in our hearts.”

Those who braved the bitter cold to attend the event saw a slide show that included photos of Stacy in happier times.

State Police have called her disappearance a “potential homicide” and have named her husband, Drew Peterson, a suspect in the case. Stacy Peterson vanished Oct. 28.

Among those attending Sunday was Melissa Doman, the niece of Drew Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio was found dead in a waterless bathtub in March 2004. Her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning, but the case is being reviewed in light of Stacy Peterson’s disappearance.

Family mix-upDuring the service, Candace Aikin recalled a bittersweet story from more than 10 years ago, when she was in town from California visiting her family. During her visit, Candace learned that her deeply troubled sister — Stacy’s mother — had been arrested and had claimed to be Candace.

She sorted things out with police, and when she was leaving to return to California, the then-13-year-old Stacy said, “Aunt Candy, you are always wanted in Illinois, and it’s not by the police.”
Noticeably absent from Sunday’s tribute was Stacy’s husband. Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, maintains Stacy isn’t missing and that she has run off with another man.

Reached at home after the event, Peterson asked, “Did they have a pinata with my picture on it?” How typical of Peterson. It is a gathering for people who love his deceased wife, and all he thinks of is himself.

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/01/21/open-thread-22/#comments Special thanks to Barb of Bolingbrook for posting this on Gretawire.