Wilbur "Bill" Peters

Wilbur “Bill” Peters, age 89, of Kansas City, MO, passed away on Saturday, May 15, 2021. A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 11:00 AM, with Visitation starting at 10:00 AM, at the McGilley Antioch Chapel, 3325 NE Vivion Rd. Burial will follow services in Mount Washington Cemetery, Independence, MO.

Bill was born in Oneida County, IA to William and Pearl Ivy (Brown) Peters on May 21, 1931. Wilbur was raised in Iowa Soldiers Orphanage which became the Annie Whittenmeyer Home after his Mother passed away. He stayed in the orphanage until they kicked him out when he was 18 years old.

This is when he started walking. He walked everywhere he went. He hired on with some Gypsies who painted barns and repaired roofs. About this time, they were looking for him for the draft and the orphanage could not find him. They thought he was a draft dodger. It was when he came back to the orphanage, he was drafted into the Army.

He was a paratrooper in the 187th Airborne. He said he carried a bazooka because he could not hit anything with a rifle. He served from 1950 to 1952 and completed 26 jumps. He received several medals for serving his country including the Occupation Medal (Japan), Korean Service Medal, a Bronze Camp Star, United Nations Service Medal, and a Combat I Infantry Badge.

He met his wife Velma Cowan in Kansas City and they were married December 1st, 1956. Together, they had two sons Terry and Wes. Velma called Wilbur "Bill." Bill was a great dad and would play ball or catch anytime the boys wanted him to, even after a long day at work.

When their kids were young, Bill and Velma drove to Disneyland in California in a Ford Falcon. When he got back, he decided he needed a new car with more power. He purchased a 1968 Torino with bucket seats and a 390 engine. The car had a tiny speedometer, so Velma couldn’t slide over enough to see how fast he was driving.

Bill retired from Owens Corning in the 1990’s after a 30+ year career and four lost fingers in a cutting accident.

Bill was not a stranger to loss in his life. His son, Terry, who was living in Tuscon, AZ and working for IBM passed away tragically Nov 1, 1988 in a fire. Velma later passed away due to a stroke on November 30, 2004.

After Velma’s death, Brooke, Bill's Granddaughter, gave her Grandpa a dog by the name of Molly. Molly and Bill would walk approximately 5 miles each day when the weather was good. Bill was in such good shape, he eventually decided to quit driving on his own and would walked to all the parks.

Then the dreaded thing happened, Alzheimer’s. Although the Alzheimer’s Medicine helped for many years, Bill couldn't remember how to get to the parks and would wait for Wes and Colleen “Coke” to get home and take him, Molly, and Jake to the park.

Bill was a Great Hugger. He had a dry sense of humor and played the harmonica. His specialty was the song, “Auld Lang Syne” which he played at New Years. He loved being outside in warm weather and would stay out there working on the yard, or just sitting there drinking his Diet Mountain Dew. He had a love for the old western movies and he and Coke would watch old karate movies. He would give Coke a play by play on the movies, even when she wasn’t watching the same show.

On Wes’ 60th birthday, Bill called for Coke – he needed help. When she came around the corner of the kitchen, he had these Mr. Magoo glasses on. They laughed and laughed.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife, Velma Cowan; son, Terry Peters; and Step-Son, Ronnie Cowan. He leaves behind his son, Wes (Colleen) Peters; grandchildren, Rachel (Barret) Thomas, Brooke Hoffman and Derek Peters; daughter-in-law, Sue Cowan; step-grandchildren, Valerie and Phillip; and a multitude of nieces, nephews, and friends to cherish his memory.