James Joseph Peters

James Joseph Peters, age 69, passed away from complications after a long struggle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in Palm Beach, FL.  Jim is survived by his wife, Marie Peters, of Delray Beach, FL, his son, James Peters and his wife Allison Lange, of Somerville, MA and his mother, Marion Peters, of St. Joseph, MI.   His father, Richard, and brother, Nicholas, preceded him in death Jim Peters was born on October 28, 1948, in Watervliet, MI to parents Marion Peters and Richard Peters.  He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1970 with a degree in Germanic Language and Literature and continued his studies at the University of Oregon, earning a master’s degree for Germanic Language and Literature, in 1971.  He married Marie in 1977, and the couple had one child, James, in 1985. A veritable renaissance man, Jim Peters worked in several sectors of the business world.   Much of his working life was spent with insurance companies, including MetLife, Pacific Mutual and CNA.  Fueled by his love of travel and passion for meeting new people he entered the hospitality business as an investor and project manager for Classic Resorts and Destination Resorts and was later hired as the Vice President of Operations for the Ginn Company and Resorts.  In the years before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Jim and Marie founded a company specializing in training programs for European hospitality professionals. Jim always pursued his love of music, which began as a young man playing in rock bands in Southwestern Michigan and then continued later with a family band, Suburbia.  Jim met Nashville fiddle legend, Buddy Spicher, and their friendship resulted in a partnership in The Fiddle House recording studio, in traveling to fiddle camps across the country, and in Jim helping produce several CD’s for Buddy’s Nashville Swing Band. Jim’s family and friends will always remember his dry wit, puns, love of beer, playing guitar, skiing, sailing, cooking, and his love for Notre Dame and his Innsbruck group. Plans for a celebration of Jim’s life with family and friends is still to be decided.  A memorial will be held in Michigan September 2 in the Crystal Springs Cemetery at 2:30 pm.   The family would like to thank everyone who has been so supportive during this difficult time and ask that if you wish to do something further to make a donation in memoriam of Jim Peters to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at https://www.alzinfo.org/donate/donation_form.