Earl Eugene Peterson

Earl Eugene Peterson, 89, of Maitland, Florida, passed away April 25, 2019. He was born October 13, 1929, in North Liberty, Indiana, the oldest of six children of Orville A. Peterson and Lillian A. Peterson. As a teenager, he spent several weeks at a Shriner’s Hospital in Chicago, where he received surgery to correct a foot deformity.

While he was in the hospital, another boy he met received a chemistry set as a present. The other boy was not interested in it, so Earl used it instead. From that moment on, Earl dreamed of being a chemist someday.

He graduated with a chemistry degree in 1955 from Manchester College (now known as Manchester University), in Manchester, Indiana, where he met Gloria “Anne” Richardson, of Flora, Indiana. Both Earl and Anne were active members of the Church of the Brethren. They were married July 3, 1955.

They had a daughter, Linda, and two sons, David and Edward, all born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Later, the family moved to Dearborn, Michigan, where Earl and Anne raised their children. It was a very close family and has remained so through the years.

Earl was a chemist for Ford Motor Company until he retired in 1987. In retirement, Earl and Anne moved to Orlando, Florida, where their son, David, was living. Earl took a job working for the State of Florida Department of Agriculture as a chemist testing the purity of gasoline. He retired from the State of Florida in 1999.

Earl and Anne loved to travel, exploring all 50 U.S. states and each of the world’s continents except for Africa and Antarctica. Besides travel, Earl enjoyed gardening and photography.

Survivors include his wife, Anne, and his children, Edward of Northville, Michigan, David of Winter Park, Florida, and Linda Crumpler of Yorktown, Virginia. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and his brothers, John Peterson and Tom Peterson.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Shriner’s Hospitals or Manchester University, Manchester, Indiana.