John Peters

John Peters was born into a close-knit Irish/Swedish family in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on June 21, 1925. He grew up there with his parents Carl and Florence and adored older sister Ruth. As a boy he loved model airplanes, drawing, superhero comics, stickball, and of course, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

At age 18 John was inducted into the US Army and trained as a tank gunner and driver at Fort Knox. On D-Day he was in England with his tank unit, ready to move out--but that morning he and another soldier were suddenly ordered to take a train north to London and report to  SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force outside London and led by General Eisenhower). There John used his analytical skills to study aerial reconnaissance photographs in support of Allied operations in Europe. To this day his family does not know why he was singled out but believe it was Providence.

John remained with SHAEF after D-Day and stationed in Versailles. He was in Paris on VE-Day, celebrating with fellow GIs and jubilant French citizens--a moment he called "a day to remember." As our forces drove through Europe, he was deployed to Berlin and remained there until 1947 to support postwar efforts.

But while still in England he happened to go to Twickenham ice rink one day and there he met his British sweetheart, Audrey. He was 18 and she was 16 and had three brothers fighting with the British infantry in Europe. John and Audrey's romance continued through letters. Finally, on June 1, 1946 John and Audrey married. Times were hard for the British after the war, and so John's sister Ruth sent her wedding dress from Brooklyn to Audrey in her home town of Richmond. John and Audrey shared 73 years of marriage, building a life rooted in love, family and friends. They made many return visits to England, and a highlight of their lives was gathering with fellow veterans and their wives at annual WW2 SHAEF reunions across the US. Audrey was also active in British war bride organizations, proudly representing the transatlantic bond forged in wartime.

More recently, John and his family visited the Camp Shanks Museum in Orangeburg NY, where he and over 1.3 million American troops had embarked for Europe.

After the war, John attended Pratt Institute while supporting his young family and proudly earned his AIA designation, then worked for decades as an architect on Long Island and Manhattan. He and Audrey raised their family in Huntington, Long Island, the proud father of two daughters, then beloved father-in-law to their husbands, grandfather to four, and great grandfather to two great granddaughters--both named Audrey in honor of his cherished wife (and another great granddaughter is on the way). John never missed an opportunity to be with his grandchildren and created innumberable precious memories with them, especially summers at Greenwood Lake. 

Following his wife's passing, John moved to Cedar Crest where he joined the bocce players and enjoyed veterans' gatherings.

Words cannot capture the essence of a man, but John's quiet strength, humility and humor, his kindness to all and devotion to his family and friends made him beloved by all who knew him.

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