MAYVILLE – William D. Peters, 89, formerly of Mayville, died Tuesday (December 27, 2016) at Heritage Village Rehab and SN in Gerry, NY.
He was born July 27, 1927 in Conewango, NY to Mannie and Lucy Peters. Volunteered for the Merchant Marine in 1943 and served in the North Atlantic, including a trip to Mermansk, Russia. He then joined the US Navy, where he served until 1947. He was awarded the Great Patriotic War Medal by President Boris Yeltsin in 1985.
He married Jean Hammond of Little Valley, NY in 1955 and they eventually settled in Mayville. In 1956 he started at the Chautauqua County Sherriff's Department, where he worked as a patrolman, an investigator and as the lieutenant in charge of patrolmen, retiring in 1983. He then worked as a security officer for the Chautauqua County courts until 1998.
Bill was an expert carpenter and built two houses in Mayville, including a log house built with logs that he cut himself.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman and was active in the Boy Scouts, the Masons, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.
He is survived by his wife, Jean, his sons, Jeff (Terry) Peters of Pittsburgh, PA and Don (Karen) Peters of Palmer, Alaska; and his grandchildren, Emmali, Nora, Will, Ben and Asa.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Mannie Peters.
The funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm Friday in the Freay Funeral Home in Mayville. Rev. Daniel Bender will officiate. Burial will be in the Villenova Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 pm Thursday in the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Macular Degeneration Foundation, PO Box 531313, Henderson, NV 89053.
You can leave a remembrance or lite a candle by going to www.freayfuneralhome.com.