John J. "Joe" Peters

July 17, 1927 - October 11, 2020

John J. “Joe” Peters, 93, a longtime resident of Methuen, formerly of Lawrence, passed away at home on October 11, 2020 surrounded by his devoted family. Joe was born on July 17, 1927 to his hardworking parents, the late Joseph and Mary (Ellis) Peters in Lawrence and was raised and educated in Andover, MA. A decorated career veteran whose service spanned WWII, Korea and Vietnam Wars, he retired honorably from the US Navy. After spending 20 years in the military service, Joe began his second career as the boiler supervisor at the Lawrence General Hospital. The patriarch of his family, he was a proud and cherished husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Joe was a lifelong devout Catholic and was a communicant of St Lucy’s Church in Methuen. He met his sweetheart, Carmelina, on New Year’s Eve 1954 and they were married on June 16, 1956 at the Holy Rosary Church in Lawrence. Joe was a member of the BPOE Lodge # 65 in Lawrence and also volunteered countless hours at Turn Hall in Lawrence as well. He enjoyed doing the daily crossword puzzle, watching westerns and candle pin bowling and watching his beloved Boston Red Sox. Joe touched many lives in many different circles and will be fondly remembered, cherished and loved. Joe is survived by his devoted daughter Marie E. Meckl and her husband Peter of Lafayette, IN. He was the proud grandfather to Timothy Peters, Kris Ryan Peters, Paul Meckl and his wife Kate, Kristina Meckl and Kayla Meckl. Joe was also a great-grandfather to his three great-grandchildren. He was the beloved brother to Clifford Peters, and Carol Davis and the cherished father-in-law to Gail Peters. In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Carmelina M. (Marconi) Peters in 2008 and his son, John J Peters II, who passed in 1987. He was also predeceased by his siblings, Phillip Peters, William Peters, Doris Roys, Pauline Levesque, and Phyllis Baker. Visitation for John will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2020 from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence Street, Methuen. Friends and family are cordially invited to attend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, October, 26, 2020 at 10:00 AM at Corpus Christi-Holy Rosary Parish, 35 Essex St. Lawrence. Entombment to follow at St. Mary Immaculate Conception Cemetery and Mausoleum, 29 Barker Street, Lawrence. Due to the current ongoing global pandemic, facial coverings are required and social distancing must be observed to attend calling hours, funeral mass and entombment. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in John’s memory to the Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 North Ave, Haverhill, MA 01830. To leave an online condolence please visit www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is proud to serve the Peters family.