Kenneth Joseph Peterson

“You buyin’?” That was Ken Peterson’s signature line, and he never missed a chance to use it. It set the tone for what was sure to follow: Joke after joke after joke, always delivered with a twinkle in his deep-blue eyes. He delighted in presenting himself to the world as a cantankerous grouch when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Despite his best efforts to make the world think otherwise, he was exceedingly kind. He showed up, for family and friends. He made the good times happen.

Ken was born May 29, 1944, in Dubuque, Iowa, into a military family and grew up in Puerto Rico, Guam, Bermuda, Hawaii and California. After high school, he worked on a farm in Iowa before finding his calling as a skilled mechanic. For many years in El Cajon, he owned Broadway Auto Repair and, later, Powder 1, a powder-coating business.

In 1969, he went on a first date with his future wife, Joy, and never looked back. He was a loving partner to her for nearly 53 years. Fun was the operative word, and they had a lot of it. He was all of 25 when he took on a family with three kids. A fourth arrived when his daughter Cheri was born a couple of years later. Eventually, he insisted on moving from Chula Vista to Bonita, where he liked to say he lived among all the other “doctors, lawyers and front-end mechanics.”

For 40 years, he spent many weekends at the Colorado River, where he and Joy had a second home. He could usually be found behind the wheel of his boat, pulling his daughters Vicki and Cheri and an endless stream of friends on water skis. He was no slouch: He skied barefoot back in the day and water skied until he was 50. Parasailing and tubing were also involved. And beer. Lots of beer.

Ken was often all about the side hustle. A case in point: One thing that never went to the bar with him was his wallet, but he was certain to charm you into emptying yours — and make you feel good about it.

His survivors include his collection of classic cars, which he painstakingly restored during retirement.

He liked to say that only the good die young, so he was sure to live forever. One more wisecrack and proof that he was, in fact, a great guy. We will miss him and his antics.