Myrna Loy Staton

On February 9, 2023, as if sighing gently before falling asleep, Myrna Loy Staton, 83, of Severn, Maryland, took her final breath and said goodbye to her pain, to her gradual loss of independence, and to all those who loved her dearly and now miss her intensely.

Myrna was born on June 20, 1939, in Bottineau County, North Dakota, to Ivan and Amanda Peterson, the first grandchild to Jorgen and Sophie Tengesdal. Her first step at 14 months revealed that she had Developmental Hip Dysplasia (abnormal development of the hip joint), which caused shortening of the leg and lifelong pain in the hip. Surgery at a Shriners Hospital for Children , six months spent in a waist-down cast, and painful rehabilitation soon followed to try to correct the condition.

Myrna desired to become a nurse and completed two years of study at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington. However, the amount of walking required became too much for her hips. She met David Staton, a soldier at Ft. Lewis, on a train from North Dakota to Washington. They fell in love, married, and moved to the Baltimore area, where they raised two sons, Mylon and Jerry. She resided in Bismarck, North Dakota, for a few years after David died before returning to Maryland in 2012.

A gifted and talented singer, Myrna was selected to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on local TV in her teens. She sang soprano in the choir at Glen Lutheran Church and "always hit the high notes," according to former fellow choir members. She was also known to call family and friends on their birthday and give them an a cappella performance of "Happy Birthday to You." In addition to singing, she loved animals, reading, trying new foods, traveling to new places, and riding her GoGo scooter along park trails on warm sunny days.

Her husband, her parents and her brother Mylo Peterson have gone before her. Surviving are Myrna's sons Mylon (Wendy) Staton and Jerry Staton; sister Myra (Lyle) Johnson, brother Galen (Sue) Peterson; sisters-in-law Dorothy Peterson; Nancy Staton, Louise Staton, and Nancy Knight; brother-in-law Ron (Debbie) Staton; grandchildren Tyler (Jaclyn) Staton and Haley (Cody) Wood; great-grandchildren Carly, Emily, and Andrew David Staton; and Bentley, Cayley, and Lainey Wood; along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, too many to mention by name.

The family plans to celebrate Myrna's life in Maryland on Sunday, April 16th at Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home and in North Dakota later this year.