Curtis Walter Peters

Curtis W. Peters, 101, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2020, at Hillcrest Home – Geneseo.  No services will be immediately held.  An inurnment service will be held at a later date in Alexander, IA.  Vandemore Funeral Homes & Crematory – Geneseo Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.  Cremation rites have been accorded.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Curt Peters Memorial Fund.

Curt was born on October 14, 1918, son of Henry and Floe Peters. He married Virginia Gregory on May 18, 1940, in Knoxville, IA.  The couple became nationally known for their 79-year marriage and enjoyment of Hershey’s chocolate bars. They were featured in news stories across the country, including the Today Show and People magazine.  As a youth, Curt became a Life Boy Scout, earning 26 merit badges. He attended Iowa State University, joined the Army ROTC program, and was later the Scout Master of Troop 5 in Waterloo, IA.  He was very proud to have served his country during WWII, as part of General Patton’s Third Army, 87th Division Golden Acorns, and the 346th Infantry at the close of the Battle of the Bulge. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the ETO Bronze Star. In 1944, Curt and Virginia moved to Waterloo. He worked at John Deere Company while starting his own company, Curt Craft Printing, which he and Virginia operated for 39 years. He retired in 1983 and moved to his childhood home in Alexander, IA.  Curt was a member of The Gideon’s International, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Waterloo.

Those left to cherish his memory include his five children, Curtis “Gregory” Peters, Janene (Brad) Church, Jim (Barbara) Peters, Susan (Roger) Cathoir, and Ron (Connie) Peters; 11 grandchildren, Ann Sewick (Larry) Frost, Sara (John) Bagley, Karen (Tom) Heun, Timothy Peters, Joseph (Sarah) Peters, James (Ruth) Peters, Phillip Cathoir, Bekah Peters, Teresa (Todd) Hamann, and Andrew (Bobbie Jo) Peters; 13 great-grandchildren, Bret (Angelica) Murray, Brice Bagley, Amanda (Will) Avery, Shauna Heun, Ella Peters, William Peters, Jane Peters, Miles Peters, Max Martens, Kiaya Peters, Amelia Peters, Samuel Peters, and Callan Hamann; and a great-great-grandchild, Tallulah Murray.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Virginia, sister, Georgia Correll, brother, Charles Peters, daughter-in-law, Helen Peters, and grandson, Robert Sewick.