Thomas R. Peters, aka “Pete” and “Bigfoot,” age 86, passed away on Friday, January 25, 2019 at Ascension All Saints Medical Center. He was born on June 6, 1932 in Racine to the late Anton and Verna (Nee: Lawler) Peters.
Thomas graduated from Washington Park High School in 1951. Following high school, he served in the U.S. Army. Thomas married Donna M. Brinkmann on February 13, 1954. They lived together for nearly sixty-five years before Donna passed away on September 18, 2018. Thomas worked for the Racine Unified School District for thirty years, before retiring in 1990. In his free time, Thomas enjoyed football, westerns, and playing cribbage. Above all, he cherished time with his family.
He will be dearly missed by his children, Martin Peters of Racine, Scott (Rayann) Peters of Racine, Jeff (Tracie) Peters of Waterford, Vicky (David) Danner of Racine; his six grandchildren, David Jr., Samantha (Jered), Brandon, James (Moriah), Aaron (Sabrina), Hannah (Jake); great-grandson Leonardo; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Bonnie (Roger) Gease of Rapid City, South Dakota, Daniel (Barbara) Brinkmann of Melbourne, FL, Robert (Jon) Brinkmann of The Villages, FL; many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many dear friends. In addition to his parents and wife, Tom was also preceded in death by his brother, Anton Peters; sisters, Jeanette (James) Haas, Cleo (Thomas) Brown.
There will be a funeral service held on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Maresh Meredith & Acklam Funeral Home. Entombment with Full Military Honors will follow at West Lawn Memorial Park. Friends and relatives can meet with the family on Friday from 4-7 p.m. or Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Lung Association have been suggested.
The family extends a special thank you to John Brown for his unwavering daily support and to Dr. Joel Niebuhr and the Ascension Hospice nursing staff on the third floor for all their loving and compassionate care.