Duane Vernon Peters, age 98 passed away peacefully on June 6, 2019. He was born in Alkabo, North Dakota on March 6, 1921 to Alice and Alvin Peters and was the middle child of his sisters Alicia and Shirley. He was a graduate of Noonan High School and learned the value of the dollar and hard work during the depression. He joined the FBI in 1942 and was tasked with monitoring coded radio communications of German and Japanese transmissions of ships and submarines. In 1944 he joined the Maritime service as a radioman decoding transmissions from the U-boat fleet. He made 22 Atlantic crossings and also traveled the Indian and Pacific oceans as part of the crew during the war. After the war he returned to the FBI and was assigned to St. Paul, Minnesota until 1949 when he left the FBI to pursue a career in the grocery business. Before embarking on his military excursions he married his sweetheart Ruby Jensen and they raised two children Jay D. and Wendy Lee in Minnesota. His grocery career took him to Fargo, N. D. and Denver, Co. with Red Owl Grocery, Los Angeles, Ca. with Ralphs Grocery and Corpus Christi, Texas with H-E-B Grocery until his retirement in 1979. He held various executive positions in his career and is a past president of Western Association Of Food Chains. After his retirement and return to California he continued to work and travel as a consultant and board member of several grocery chains in the US.
Duane loved playing golf and his travels allowed him to play courses all over the US and the world. He was an accomplished musician and played and loved the music of the Big Band era. He also spent some time as a custom home developer and an avocado farmer to remain busy. He loved sports and was a big fan of the Chargers and Padres.
The sudden passing of Ruby in 1983 led him to meet his second love Gloria and they were married in 1985. Gloria's children Steve Fox, Tom Fox and Anne Groepper and their children enlarged his family and brought a new joy to him.
His last ten years had been at La Costa Glen Retirement Community were he was known and liked by all.
Duane is preceded in death by his parents, first wife Ruby, daughter Wendy and sister Alicia. He is survived by his wife Gloria, son Jay, sister Shirley and grandsons Brian, Michael, James and 6 great grandchildren.
He was a great husband, father and friend and will be missed.
A Celebration Of Life will be held at a later date.
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