November 26, 2009

Elmer Albert Peters

Elmer Albert Peters was born in Yakima on Aug. 19, 1936, and died on Nov. 17, 2009, at his home in Sammamish, Wash.

He was born to Elmer Peters Sr. and Marie Ann St. George Peters, and was raised in Yakima, graduating from Yakima High School in 1955.

He received both his BA and MA in education from Central Washington State College in 1959.

On June 15, 1957 he married his high school sweetheart, Janie Briggs, and they were married 52 years.

She is living in the family home in Sammamish. They were parents to three sons, David, Darrell and Doug.

David presently lives in Atascadero, Calif.; Doug and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Sammamish with their two children, Nick and Carly; and Darrell preceded Elmer in death in 2003, in Nashville, Tenn., leaving his wife and best friend, Kara, along with two sons, Mason and Alec.

His chosen profession was music education. His teaching career began in Coulee City from 1959 to 1961. The family then moved to Ritzville, where he taught both instrumental and vocal music for seven years, 1961-1968.

His music groups in Ritzville excelled, with over half the student body participating in either band or chorus. In 1968 an opportunity to move to the “big city” took him and his family to Spokane, where he taught vocal music at Ferris High School for four years.

In 1972 he was offered a position as music educator in the Bellevue public schools, which he accepted and where he taught both vocal and instrumental music in several schools until his retirement in 1989.

He then continued as a substitute teacher in both Bellevue and Issaquah for an additional nine years.

It is said music was his life. He played professionally in a number of “dance bands,” most particularly in a group known statewide and beyond as “The Many Sounds of Nine.”

He played in this group either as a substitute or a regular member for more than 20 years.

He was invited to be the assistant director of the Bellevue Community Band in 1987, a position he held until 2000. He and his wife have continued to play in that community group until this year. He also directed church choirs in both Coulee City and Ritzville. His love of music and sports was passed down to his three sons, who some consider were and are excellent musicians in their own right.

He was very proud of the “hole in one” he once accomplished on the Ritzville course, his golfing claim to fame. He also enjoyed camping with Jane, his family and many close friends in their motor home, both on the ocean beaches and at Banks Lake.

He is also survived by his brother, Donald Peters of Woodburn, Ore.; sisters, Ruby Roberts of Lynnwood; Elmadine Hull of Kittitas; a brother-in-law, Jack Flynn of Enumclaw; numerous nephews, nieces, cousins and friends, as well as the extended family of his wife’s relatives, who loved him as their own.

Memorial services are Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church in Issaquah, Wash. Flintofts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Visit http://www.flintofts.com to view photos. Also, check with http://www.ritzvillealumni.com for photo and information.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the American Cancer Society (donate online), The Compassionate Friends, P. O. Box 358, Kirkland, WA 98083; Faith United Methodist Church, 3924 Issaquah/Pine Lake Road, Issaquah, WA 98029, or the charity of one’s choice.