Gunter G Peters

Gunter George Peters, age 87, of Chandler, passed away peacefully in his home in Sun Lakes in the early morning of Monday, May 23rd. He was born on November 2, 1934 in Nienburg, Germany to Friedrich Reinhold Peters, and Henny Agate Peters (nee Portka). He grew up with his siblings Werner and Marianne, attending high school in his hometown of Syke, Germany. At the age of 17 he had a calling to immigrate to the United States. After arriving in New York City, he lived in the German community along 86th Street. It was here that he learned about opportunities to serve his adopted country and attain citizenship. He promptly enlisted in the USAF.
He was initially sent by the Air Force to England, and then briefly to Germany, where he met the love of his life, Erica Bartram, in Bremerhaven. He would marry his beautiful bride shortly thereafter on September 7, 1956. This union was blessed with two children, Dean and David. As a military and (subsequently) civil service wife, Erica would be a staunch supporter of Gunter, and they would travel the world before settling down in Chandler, Arizona in 1997. Their marriage of 62 years was one of great joy, love, and adventure.
Gunter entered Military Intelligence while stationed in Hill AFB, Utah, in 1961. He then received orders to West Berlin, which lasted until 1966. From then on, his various assignments included being stationed at Cannon AFB (New Mexico), Fort Holabird (Maryland), Bangkok (Thailand), Homestead AFB (Florida) and finally Fort Huachuca (Arizona) where his 22-year career in the USAF culminated in his being an instructor there.
Upon his retirement from the USAF, he entered the Civil Service serving for the Department of the Army for another 22 years. His assignments included Frankfurt (Germany), Bremen (Germany) and Fort Belvoir (Virginia). His final post was serving as Liaison Officer for Central and South America in Panama under SOUTHCOM.
Gunter served in two wars: the Vietnam conflict while in Bangkok, and Desert Shield/Desert Storm while officially stationed in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. Among his many citations and awards, he received the Superior Civilian Service Award and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award; the former given for his efforts in mitigating the loss of American ground troops during the Persian Gulf War. His lifelong dedication to the service of our country - as attested to by many of Gunter's colleagues and superiors - is part of his most admirable legacy.
A life-long Christian, Gunter was a member of Risen Savior Lutheran Church since its' founding in 2001. As well as volunteering in the church, Gunter loved his Scripture readings on Sunday mornings.
His incredible life will forever be treasured in the lives of his wife, Erica who preceded him in death (2018), his sons Dean (Donna DeMilia) Peters of Chandler, AZ and David (Kathe) Peters of Gilbert, AZ; brother-in-law Peter (Silke) Bartram of Achim, Germany; brother-in-law Karl-Heinz Grasshoff of Bonn, Germany; sister-in-law Hannelore Peters of Hannover, Germany; grandchildren Katherine (Jeremy) Andrews of Tacoma, WA, Rachael (Michael) Doll of Houston, TX, and Elijah (Sierra) Peters of Indianapolis, IN, and a host of devoted family members and friends.
Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday June 10th at Risen Savior Lutheran Church, 23914 S. Alma School Rd., Chandler, AZ 85248. A reception will immediately follow the service at the same location.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, or the Disabled American Veterans Charity at www.dav.org.