Roger Peterson

CHESHIRE- Roger Nils Peterson, 90, of Cheshire, Conn., a retired telephone company manager and World War II veteran died Tuesday at Masonicare Hospice in Wallingford, Conn., after a long illness.

Born in Bristol, Mr. Peterson was the seventh child in a family of 10 whose parents, Nils and Martha, immigrated to America from Helsingborg, Sweden.

Mr. Peterson attended local schools, and, inspired by a high school teacher, began taking general science courses to prepare for college. After graduation, he worked at a General Motors factory and attended classes at Hillyer Junior College in Hartford, which would later become the University of Hartford.

Before he could complete his studies, Mr. Peterson was drafted and eventually assigned to the 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion where he served as a radio operator. During the war he served in Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines, where his unit took part in the Battle of Luzon.

After his discharge, Mr. Peterson returned home and got his degree from the University of Connecticut. He began working for the Southern New England Telephone Company as an engineer and, in 1946 met his future wife, Justine Hassett, at a local dance.

Mr. Peterson later recalled how he and some pals were horsing around and knocked down a fence outside the Lake Compounce dance hall. Afraid they'd get into trouble, the men ran back inside and, he said, "I asked the first girl I saw if she wanted to dance." It was Justine and the two would be together for the next 66 years, -- 63 married - until Mrs. Peterson's death last year.

Mr. Peterson spent his entire career with Southern New England Telephone and AT&T as a district plant engineer and later helped develop training courses for phone company workers in the United States and abroad. His work to him to Iran, where he lived for four months in 1976, as well as Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin and New Jersey.

He retired in 1981 and he and Justine spent many happy years traveling and enjoying the saltbox home in Brewster, MA. he built - with the help of his three young sons - in the early 1960s.

Mr. Peterson is survived by his sons David of Brewster, Mass. and Alan of Hingham, Mass.; two daughters, Linda Peterson of Cranston, R.I. and Joan Moore of Cheshire, Conn.; six grandchildren, Garran and Chris Peterson of Cape Cod, Caitlin and Abby Peterson of Hingham, Lily and Claire Mensah of Cranston, and Avery Moore of Milford, CT. and Alison Moore of Hamden; two daughters-in-law, Nancy Garran Peterson of Brewster and Gayle Fee Peterson of Hingham; two sons-in-law Abed Mensah of Cranston and Lawrence Moore of Cheshire; and a sister Betty Carlson of Bristol. His eldest son, Mark Peterson, passed away in 1975.

Arrangements-A Memorial Service for Roger will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday April 28 at Christ Lutheran Church in Hamden. The Alderson Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 South Main St, 06410 is in charge of the arrangments. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Lutheran Church, 600 Shepard Avenue Hamden, CT 06514.