Grover Cleveland “Bud” Peters Jr.

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 2, 2009

Grover Cleveland “Bud” Peters Jr.
Montevallo

Grover Cleveland “Bud” Peters Jr., age 83, of Montevallo passed away Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at his home, surrounded by family.
Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Friday, April 3, 2009, at Ridout’s Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 4, 2009, in the funeral home’s chapel in Pelham. Burial will follow in Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham.
Mr. Peters is survived by his caregiver and loving wife of 60 years, Betty; their son, Dr. Wayne Peters (Judy) of Albertville; their daughters, Deborah Little (Mike) of Hoover and Teresa Vest (Floyd) of Auburn; grandchildren, Vanessa Cain (Chris), Scarlet Thompson (John), Jonathan Peters (Rebecca), Autumn Little, Benjamin Peters and Anna Little; and four great-grandchildren, Cade Thompson, Keeley Thompson, Abigail Cain, and Reed Peters. He is also survived by a very special sister-in-law, Mary Hester Plier (Albert) and special caregiver, Doris Seals.
Bud, as he was called by family and friends, was born in Aldrich in 1925 to Grover Cleveland Peters Sr. and Ruth Weaver Peters. He was the second eldest of six children. Bud is survived by all of his siblings, Zenoba Harmon, Kenneth Peters, Thomas Peters, Carolyn Gray and Ruelane Bice.
Bud was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy on the Destroyer Escort USS Cronin in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean theaters. He attained the rank of Water Tender 2nd Class Petty Officer. He routinely sent his paychecks home to support his family and church.
Once the war was over, he returned home to Pea Ridge, where he went into the grocery business with his future father-in-law. He later moved the family to Hueytown and worked as an inspector at the TCI steel mills in Fairfield. He was a mason and a shriner. The Peters family eventually relocated to Shelby County where Bud purchased a farm, raising laying turkeys, and later, broilers, hay, and cattle. He also was a beekeeper and a gardener.
Bud had a deep faith in God, and he fostered that faith among his children and grandchildren. Though he had a limited income, he always tithed and freely gave to support his church. He helped to organize and establish Monte-Sil Baptist Church in Shelby County, with the beginnings of the church operating in the basement of his home. He served as deacon and teacher there for several years. Bud became a member of Concord Baptist Church in Calera in his later years.
Known as “Popaw” to his grandchildren, Bud had a sincere love for all of his family, but he especially loved babies. He is remembered for the sacrifices he made for his loved ones, his determination to give his family the best, and his desire to achieve perfection.
One Bible verse that truly describes Bud’s life is II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
The family will accept flowers, but also donations in Mr. Peters’s memory may be made to Mitchell’s Place, a preschool for children with autism, 4778 Overton Road, Irondale, AL 35210, or Alacare Hospice, 2400 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover, AL 35244.