Eldon "Al" James Peters, 81, of Allen, Texas, passed away on October 22, 2023, after a 5-year battle with dementia. Eldon kept his sense of humor throughout his illness and will be dearly missed by friends and family.
Eldon was born on June 18, 1942 in tiny Hepburn, Saskatchewan, Canada, to George William and Susan (Lepp) Peters. George was a Mennonite preacher, academic, and missionary, and in Eldon’s early years the family moved as George’s career grew. Eldon spent most of his youth in Fresno, California, where he enjoyed a happy childhood with occasional hijinks. The family won the first television in the neighborhood thanks to the ballot-stuffing antics of Eldon and his brother Arnie. Eldon and his family later moved to Dallas, Texas, where Eldon enrolled at Southern Methodist University, majoring in mathematics.
While attending SMU, Eldon met his future wife, Patricia Ann Brown, who was working at a local restaurant. During courtship, Eldon endeared himself to his future mother-in-law with an insatiable appetite for her home cooked meals, and especially her delicious pies. Eldon and Patricia married in January 1964, and lived in San Jose, then Dallas. Eldon took a job with Southwestern Bell, and served honorably in the Army, then the Texas National Guard. Two years after their first child, Pierette, was born, Eldon was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, where their other two children, Patrick and Phillip, were born.
At Southwestern Bell, Eldon excelled as a data and financial analyst, specializing in FCC regulations. He was often called upon as an expert witness in legal proceedings, traveling across the country to testify. After retirement, Eldon and Patricia moved back to Texas, where he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and planning retirement finances on possibly the most complicated spreadsheet ever written.
Eldon is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia; his children, Pierette (Peters) Jones, of Allen; Patrick Peters and his wife, Lisa, of Austin; and Phillip Peters, of San Jose, California; and his five grandchildren, Anaka, Arika, Drew, Claire, and Isla.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 28, 2023 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park.
The service will be livestreamed at https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/eldon-al-james-peters. After the service, the recorded livestream will be available at the same link location.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any contributions be made to Alzheimers Foundation of America.