John Herman Peterson

John Herman Peterson, COL USAR, 104, of 53 Dexter Street, Middletown, died Tuesday, July 27, 2021 after a brief illness. He was the husband of the late Helen E. (Starrett) Peterson.

John was born in Newport on March 8, 1917 to Herman F. and Nanny M. (Johnson) Peterson.

He graduated from Rogers High School in 1934 and Rhode Island State College (now University of Rhode Island) with a degree in Business Administration in 1939. In January of 1941 he was among the first draftees into the Army for World War II. After attending Officer Candidate School, he received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in 1942. He served in the Pacific for the remainder of the war, separated from active duty in June of 1946, and transferred to the Army Reserve, rising to the rank of colonel.

In 1947, he married Helen Starrett in a ceremony at the family farmhouse in Warren, Maine, where her ancestors had first settled in 1736. For more than 25 years he was employed as a statistician for the Department of the Navy at the Naval Underwater Systems Center.

After retirement, he and his wife traveled extensively for more than two decades, taking overseas trips to Hawaii, Scandinavia, the Caribbean and Australia (to watch the America's Cup return), as well as intracoastal cruising from Canada to Florida.

In the early 1980s, he renewed his interest in computers, having seen his first one in the 1940s. It filled an entire room. After becoming legally blind at age 94, he enhanced his computer skills, taking courses with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

John seemed to be a magnet for stray cats. The female ones especially adored him.
A member of Wanumetonomy Golf Club for nearly 60 years, he typically played three times a week after retiring until he was in his early 90s, walking the course all but the last four years.

Staying mentally active until the end, he read two newspapers daily, enjoyed doing sudoku and crossword puzzles, and socializing with his many friends at the John Clarke Retirement Center.

John was preceded in death by his wife, parents and sister, Helen Louise Hanes. He is survived by his children, J H Peterson and wife Jolynn Johnson of New Hope, Minnesota; Christine E. Peterson of Portsmouth, RI and William C. Peterson and wife Gini Stoddard of North Chittenden, VT; niece Susan Hanes Stillman; nephews Hugh Starrett, Raymond Starrett, D. Bruce Hanes and Carl Hanes, along with many great nieces and great nephews.

Calling hours will be held on Tuesday, August 3rd from 4-7 PM in Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport. The family kindly asks attendees to bring masks and follow current Covid-19 precautions.

A funeral service will be held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 525 Broadway, Newport on Wednesday, August 4th at 10 AM, with burial to follow in Newport Memorial Park.

Memorial donations can be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, all of Newport.

The family would like to thank the staff of John Clarke and HopeHealth Hospice for their care and support during John's final days, as well as his aides and the family of Josie Allen for their loving kindness.