Dad was born in the small village of Rush Lake, Saskatchewan, on February 13, 1937, the third son of Cornelius & Tena Peters.  Early in his life his family moved to Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, where his parents had a small humble farm and a brood of children (6 more after dad).  Dad's childhood was marked by lots of work on the farm, going to school, where math was his favorite subject (though he didn't like school at all), playing some baseball, and making toy cars out of old clocks.  After finishing grade 8, he went to Swift Current Bible School for a year at the ripe old age of 15.  By 16 he was off working as a long haul truck driver.  He didn't call home often enough for his mother's peace of mind, so a couple times she had the RCMP look for him to make sure he was okay! Dad worked as a truck driver, then did road construction on the highways of southern Manitoba, and after meeting mom in 1964 he did various jobs, and eventually owned a turkey farm in Oliver BC for several years in the mid 1970s.  He worked on the Prairie Bible Institute construction crew in the late 70s, and then returned to trucking in about 1980 and was a master truck driver for the next 30 years, always earning awards for his stellar work.  He was the most reliable hard working employee.

Dad had a wanderlust and our family moved frequently, from starting married life in Saskatoon, to summers farming with his in-laws in Mazenod, then out to Aldergrove, BC for a few years, then to Oliver, BC, Three Hills, AB, then to Calgary, back to Mazenod, and ending in Calgary.  Every place we would live in 2-3 different houses, and by their 24th wedding anniversary they had lived in about 22 different homes!  He loved change!

Dad met mom in April of 1964 over a root beer at A&W in Saskatoon. His cousin was friends with mom and thought they would be a match.  They went on 3 dates, and by mid-May they were engaged to be married.   It must have been love as they both loved raw onion sandwiches and ate them during their courtship days!  They married in October of 1964, 6 months after meeting.

Dad's character is his greatest legacy.  He was a big strong man physically, but his character was one of gentleness, and kindness.  He was frequently referred to as a "gentle giant".   He was so grateful to all those who cared for him over the last few years. Even his nurses and doctors over his last days in the hospital constantly expressed how sweet he was and such a grateful patient.  We all knew dad loved us. He told us with his words and his actions.  He left us with a wonderful model and example for our own lives. Dad had a fun sense of humor, and would sneak comments in, like this past week when his head nurse asked him how he felt about dying.  He said "I'm not afraid of dying, I've just never done it before".  A few years back he spent a year battling a lymphoma related cancer, and had many x-rays, which he referred to as "going for a photoshoot".

Dad's favorite scripture was Psalm 121.  "I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth....  The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore".

We picture dad now, in heaven in the presence of his God and Saviour, with no barriers or earthly distractions, just feeling all the love of his eternal Father.  There is joy and celebration that dad has crossed the finish line on earth and he is hugging his girl, Jackie, and chatting with his brothers Dan and William, and sister Mag and their parents.

Dad was predeceased by his parents, three siblings Daniel, William, and Magdalene, and his dear daughter, Jackie Whitehouse.

He is survived by Irene, his wife of 56 years; daughters Jill (Jason) Gayoway and Linda (Chris) Collins; six fantastic grandchildren:  Keltie Kramer, Taylor Whitehouse, Mikayla (Aric) Froese, Austin Gayoway, Ethan Gayoway, and Brady Collins; and siblings:  Adina, Miriam, Mary, Melvin, and Kathy.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Walter Peters memory to Lymphoma Canada ( https://www.lymphoma.ca/ ), OR the Walter Peters Memorial Bursary at www.prbi.edu/give , OR to any charity of your choice.

Lymphoma Canada
6860 Century Avenue, Suite 202, Mississauga ON L5N 2W5
Tel: 1-866-659-5556
Web: https://www.lymphoma.ca/

The Walter Peters Memorial Bursary
P.O. BOX 99, Sexsmith AB TOH 3CO
Tel: 1-780-568-3962
Web: http://www.prbi.edu/give