Peter Hammond Bouton

Peter Bouton, 81, passed away on January 19, 2018, peacefully in his sleep at his residence.

He is survived by his brother, Norman (Jane) Bouton; children, Christopher (Laura) Bouton, Melanie (Greg Moloney) Bouton, Gregory (Tricia) Bouton, Phillip (Elysabeth) Bouton, Chris (Lisa Santangelo) Bleiholder, and Jennifer (Michael) Phillips;12 grandchildren, Katarina, Marshall, Madison, Matthew, Andrew, Abby, Megan, Tessa, Riley, Ellie, Caedin, and Evie; several nieces, nephews and their children, and his wife from his first marriage, Agnes Fűller Bouton. He is preceded in death by his wife Barbara, brother Larry, and grandson Carson.

Calling hours will be Friday, January 26th from 4 until 6pm at SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL, 6699 N. High St, Worthington, Ohio, 43085. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 27th at 2pm at the WESTERVILLE COMMUNITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 770 County Line Road, Westerville. A reception at the church will follow the service from 3 to 5pm. The Memorial Service will be live-streamed on You Tube at Westerville Community UCC . His final interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.

Memorial donations can be made to the Natural Resource Defense Fund () or Save the Children () in his honor.

Pete was born in Sturgis, Michigan on November 11, 1936, the son of Burrett and Katherine (Young) Bouton. He grew up in Howe, Indiana and graduated from Howe Military Academy, where his father was the superintendent.

He attended Cornell University and graduated from Indiana University in 1960 with a Bachelor's degree in History. He completed a Master's degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina in 1971.

Pete had an illustrious 29-year career in the United States Army, including two tours in Vietnam. Initially stationed in Germany, he completed Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, was a faculty instructor at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, served as a United Nations Military Observer in the Middle East following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, had a number of senior posts at the Pentagon working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Undersecretary of Defense for Counterterrorism among others, and served as the Chief Operations Officer for the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) based in Jerusalem. He went on to graduate from the War College, served as United States Defense Attaché for Jordan, stationed in Amman, and held the Middle East Chair at the United States Army War College. He retired as a Colonel in the Army after earning numerous awards for bravery and excellence in service including the Legion of Merit (2), Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in Combat, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2) and the Award of the Defense Superior Service Medal.

Beginning a second career in Higher Education, he served as the Director of Programs in Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates for the Midwestern Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA) which was located at the Ohio State University during his tenure. Similarly, he also worked in Washington, D.C. for two years as a consultant to the United Arab Emirates, to develop their own program to support scholars.

His second retirement allowed him free time with his beloved wife Barbara (deceased) to visit their favorite destination of Kauai, and travel around the United States visiting friends and family, and pursuing Barbara's hobby of genealogy, which culminated in discovering and accrediting Peter as a Mayflower descendant.

Pete's early life was filled with a sense of duty to his country, which he fulfilled many times over, and developed into a deep appreciation of culture and travel, which he greatly enjoyed. He will always be remembered as a steadfast and beloved brother, father, uncle, grandfather, husband and friend.