70132. Robert Milton Peterson Jr.
Westport News (CT)
November 24, 2004Robert Milton "Pete" Peterson, of Denver, Colo. and Palm Springs, Calif., formerly of Westport, died Sunday, Nov. 7 in Boulder, Colo. of heart disease. He was 74.
He was born Aug. 10, 1930, in Beverly, Mass. and spent his childhood in Glen Rock, N.J.
Mr. Peterson was a devoted husband to his wife, Eloise, with whom he spent 23 years. He was also a loving father to his children, Eric Peterson of Waldorf, Md., Carole Brodey of Milford and Mark Peterson of Newtown; and to his step-children, Kristin Semmelmeyer of Cambridge, Mass., Erik Semmelmeyer of Upper Montclair, N.J. and Jana and Tom Ward of Boulder, Colo. He adored and was adored by his 12 grandchildren. He also loved and is survived by his sister, Sally Bower, of Torrance, Calif.
He was a warm and generous person with an easy smile and a great sense of humor. He was also a feisty redhead who pulled no punches.
Mr. Peterson was an avid golfer and fisherman, and had a passion for collecting old baseball cards. He was a voracious reader and closely followed current events. He particularly enjoyed reading about politics and history. He loved cats, especially his cat, Timothy.
He graduated from Rutgers University in 1952, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1956. During the Korean War, he served as a lieutenant on the USS Salerno Bay as gunnery officer, and on the USS Blackbird as operations officer. He was very proud of his service to this country.
Mr. Peterson worked as a sales rep and supervisor for Upjohn Pharmaceuticals from 1957 to 1967. He was the senior vice president of investor relations for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City, a financial analyst at Scudder, Stevens & Clark in New York, and director of investor relations for Richardson Merrill in Wilton.
He and Eloise moved to Denver, Colo. in 1989 when Mr. Peterson joined Hanifin-Imhof there as a securities analyst. He retired in 1996.