Mr. Einar EJ Joseph Peterson

Mr. Einar Joseph Peterson was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      EJ was born on Saturday, July 28, 1945 at 5:25 am at Pasadena Hospital in Pasadena, Texas. His parents were Einar and Martha Mary Genzer Peterson. EJ was raised in Needville , Texas. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Peterson household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, EJ was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. EJ was raised with two siblings. He had two younger brothers, Charles and Wayne. EJ was constantly involved in activities with his brothers. EJ and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but EJ was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, EJ was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. EJ developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. EJ took part in baseball and working on his fathers farm. He was a Boy Scout. In his spare time he liked reading comic books,drawing,building items out of pop sickle sticks ,writing short stories on his typewriter and taking pictures. EJ's memorable achievements included typing out small stories for the newspaper in Needville Texas. However, what EJ enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his family and many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of EJ as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Needville High School in 1963. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was art. EJ was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. EJ always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but EJ handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, EJ was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. EJ was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served EJ well during his college experience. EJ attended Wharton County Junior College.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, EJ was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, EJ was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for EJ to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were his two brothers Charles and Wayne. Later in life, he became friends with J. W. Lambert,James Stokes,James and Eva Layton, J. D. Marshall,and Freddy.

      On August 5, 1968 EJ exchanged wedding vows with Shirley Ann Pierce at the Justice of the Peace Precinct Number One of Houston. Texas 77002. Compassionate and devoted to Shirley, EJ held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Shirley and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      EJ brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. EJ was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. EJ was blessed with two children, one son, Howard Dewayne Bruton, and one daughter Panela Denise Bruton. They were also blessed with four Grandchildren, Dewayne Allen Bruton,Justin Eugene Bruton, Shaunda Nicole Cooper, Brandon David Cooper and five Great Grandchildren, Addison Nicole Bruton, Draiden Ulmond Wilson, Jacob Wilson, Gabryle Brandon Cooper and Brenda Marie Cooper.

      EJ greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. EJ enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, EJ was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Stock Inventory Manager. He was employed for 29 years by Powell Electric Malefactor. EJ worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      EJ liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, EJ always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were taking pictures of the flowers and projects that he worked on with his wife,camping,fishing,shrimping and hunting. EJ was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      EJ found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included baseball and bowling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football, baseball and basketball.

      Many organizations were grateful to have EJ as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, EJ was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, EJ was a member of the Needville Bluejay's Band where he played the clarinet.

      EJ was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Saint Michael's. During that time, he was a alter boy. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      EJ sought out practical solutions, not individual recognition. He was always grounded and objective, feeling a strong sense of responsibility for taking care of what needed to be done. This selfless attitude earned EJ many accolades for his efforts and achievements. Some of his most prestigious awards included Industry Applications Society and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Systems awards.

      EJ enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with EJ appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, EJ always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included San Antonio,Crockett, Mexico, Canton and camping,fishing,shrimping on the mouth of the Burnard river.

      EJ was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of EJ’s favorites was BB ,a chihuahua dog. They were best friends for 15 years. His family was rounded out after BB's passing by his miniature deer chihuahua Princess.

      When EJ’s retirement finally arrived in 2012, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in doing some traveling, working on projects with his wife, taking pictures of the yard ,house, family and projects done. Even in retirement, EJ continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      Mr. Einar Joseph Peterson passed away on Monday, December 16, 2013 at 12:06 pm at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown, Texas. EJ fought a brave battle against heart problems and all the complications that come with it. He is survived by His wife Shirley, his children Howard and Pamela, his grandchildren Dewayne, Justin, Shauna and Brandon, his great grandchildren Addison,Dresden,Jacob ,Gabrila ,and Brenda, his brothers Charles and Wayne, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and other family and friends.

Services were held at Brookside Funeral Home Family Chapel. EJ was laid to rest in Brookside Memorial Park in Houston, Texas.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of (EJ) Mr. Elnar Joseph Peterson. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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Einar Joseph “E.J.” Peterson, 68, of Dayton, Texas, passed away on December 16, 2013, Einar was born in South Houston on July 28, 1945. He graduated from Needville High School and continued his education at Wharton County Junior College. Einar was married to Shirley Ann Pierce on August 5, 1968; they were married 45 years. He worked as an Inventory Control Supervisor for Powell Electric MFG for 29 years. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and his great grandchildren.

Einar is survived by his loving wife Shirley Peterson; children, Howard Bruton and wife Denyse, Pamela Cooper and husband David; grandchildren, Dewayne Bruton and wife Candice, Justin Bruton, Shaunda Cooper, Brandon Cooper; Great grandchildren, Addison Bruton, Draiden Wilson Cooper, Jacob Wilson Cooper, Gabryle Cooper; Brenda Cooper, siblings, Charles Peterson and wife Peggy, Wayne Peterson and wife Diana and several nieces, nephews, cousins and other family and friends.

Einar is preceded in death by his father, Einar Peterson and mother, Martha Mary Genzer Peterson.

Einar’s greatest accomplishment in life was being a loving and devoted Husband, Father, Paw Paw, Son, Brother and Uncle. The memories of him will always be told and retold.