Mr. John E. Peters, 96, of Columbia, passed away on Wednesday, February 6, surrounded by family and friends. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held Saturday, February 9, at 2:00 p.m. at Forest Lake Presbyterian Church, 6500 North Trenholm Road, Columbia, S. C. 29206, with a reception to follow.
Mr. Peters was born in 1922 in Ehrhardt, S. C. He was the son of the late LeRoy and Louise Peters. He attended public schools in Ehrhardt, where he graduated from Ehrhardt High School as the valedictorian of his class. Mr. Peters was a 1943 graduate of Furman University in Greenville, S. C., where he served as president of his senior class.
Mr. Peters received his orders to serve in World War II in the U. S. Navy during his college graduation ceremony, right after receiving his diploma. He then attended Midshipmen’s School at Northwestern University in Chicago and served in the amphibious forces in the Pacific Theatre of the war. He retired from the Navy in September 1946 as a Lieutenant (j.g.). After the war ended, Mr. Peters married Sybil Donnan in November 1945.
Mr. Peters graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1948. After practicing law and working for a Columbia savings and loan company for 13 years, in 1962 he joined the Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) as vice president and Southeastern regional manager. Mr. Peters was one of the first 20 employees of MGIC, which was the first private mortgage insurance company in the U. S. He retired in 1987.
Mr. Peters served on the board of trustees of the Baptist Medical Center for 26 years, and served as board chairman for many of those years. In September 1992, he became the first person to receive the Distinguished Hospital Trustee Award, presented by the S. C. Hospital Trustees Association. In December 1992, the Columbia Medical Society honored Mr. Peters’ achievements by naming him the lay person making the most outstanding contributions to medicine in the Columbia area.
In 1993, Governor Carroll Campbell awarded Mr. Peters the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor.
In 1995, Furman University awarded John and Sybil the Alumni Service Award. Mr. Peters also served on the Furman University Alumni Association Board of Directors and as the Director of the Paladin Club.
In 1998, Mr. Peters was a founding board member and the first chairman of the board of directors of the Intermedical Hospital of SC. He served on the board until he retired in 2016.
Mr. Peters was devoted to serving Christ through the church and served in many capacities throughout the years, including Chairman of the Board of Deacons, Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, and Chairman of the Personnel and Stewardship Committees. In 2007, Mr. Peters joined Forest Lake Presbyterian Church, where he committed himself to intense Bible study.
Mr. Peters lived a full life, marked by visionary leadership; service to his church, community, and country; generous giving; and dedication to his family. His family was a source of deep joy and in almost every conversation he found a way to brag on his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. In November of 2005, John and Sybil Peters celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
Mr. Peters is survived by three daughters and sons-in-law: Donna and Rodney Kinsey of Stuart, Fla.; Zan and Joe Tyler of Elgin; and Sybil and Tim Pullen of Lilburn, Ga. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and their families: Rod Kinsey (Jen) and children Buddy and Eli; Jill Kinsey Hadley (Craig) and children Will and Kate; Ty Tyler (Tammy) and daughters Tristin and Teal Williamson (Greg); John Tyler (Christine) and children Brody, Evan, John Lucas, and Charis; Elizabeth Tyler Bultema (Josiah); Russ Pullen (Kortni) and children Noah and Evie; and John David Pullen. Also surviving is niece, Elaine Donnan.
The family would like to thank the many friends, caregivers, and medical personnel who have so lovingly supported Mr. Peters during the past few years with visits, meals, wonderful care, and other kindnesses too numerous to mention.
The family requests that memorials be made to Forest Lake Presbyterian Church, 6500 North Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC 29206 or The Foundation of the Baptist Hospital System, Taylor at Marion, Columbia, SC 29220.
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