A retired president of Continental Electric Company, the 66-year old resident of Spring Lake, New Jersey continued to be active in volunteer work for his church and the community. He was on the board of a residential recovery center for drug addicts and alcoholics and was also a counselor to the residents. He was the father of three boys, David, Hamilton and Royster Peterson. He was the brother of Richard and Bob Peterson and Ellen P. Morris. He earned degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. He also studied at Harvard. In the early 1980's he met Jean Hoadley in a church group and the couple was married in 1984. On September 11th they were on their way to a family reunion in Yosemite National Park. They were scheduled to take a later flight but switched to flight 93 at the airport because it was less crowded. Nearly one thousand people, many of whom they had helped or counseled, attended their memorial service, forcing it to be moved to a larger venue. The pastor of their church, Reverend Jim Loveland said, "I wasn't on that plane, but I believe I know what happened. At the end, I'm sure they were praying and ministering with the others, encouraging them to be right with the Lord. That's what their lives were about."
A retired president of Continental Electric Company, the 66-year old resident of Spring Lake, New Jersey continued to be active in volunteer work for his church and the community. He was on the board of a residential recovery center for drug addicts and alcoholics and was also a counselor to the residents. He was the father of three boys, David, Hamilton and Royster Peterson. He was the brother of Richard and Bob Peterson and Ellen P. Morris. He earned degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. He also studied at Harvard. In the early 1980's he met Jean Hoadley in a church group and the couple was married in 1984. On September 11th they were on their way to a family reunion in Yosemite National Park. They were scheduled to take a later flight but switched to flight 93 at the airport because it was less crowded. Nearly one thousand people, many of whom they had helped or counseled, attended their memorial service, forcing it to be moved to a larger venue. The pastor of their church, Reverend Jim Loveland said, "I wasn't on that plane, but I believe I know what happened. At the end, I'm sure they were praying and ministering with the others, encouraging them to be right with the Lord. That's what their lives were about."
