Ronald G. Peterson

WORCESTER - Ronald G. Peterson, 87, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on Saturday, September 14, 2019 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Born on February 17, 1932 in Worcester, Ronald was a son of the late Eric and Alice (Sundquist) Peterson.

He will be lovingly missed and remembered by his beloved wife of 59 years, Gail L. (Schroeder) Peterson of Worcester; his four children including Joy L. Cirba of Spencer, Sue K. O’Connor of Worcester, Jon E. Peterson of Fort Worth, TX and Kris A. Bennett of Worcester; his seven grandchildren, Nicole, Jessica, Chelsea, Casey, Cameron, Joshua and Abigail; his brother, Richard Peterson of Cape Cod and his sister, Gail C. Dibaro of Auburn. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a sister, Nancy C. Ulstrom.

Ronald, who went by the nickname "Pete" to his closest friends, grew up in Worcester and was proud of the Swedish heritage of which his parents came from. He graduated from South High School where he met the love of his life, Gail, in his senior year.

Ronald was an accomplished athlete, playing Professional Baseball at a Class C level right out of high school. Referred to in papers as “the classiest young rookie pitcher ever seen,” Ronald first played for Roswell Baseball in the Longhorn League in New Mexico. He was released in 1952 to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. Stationed in Korea, Ronald met some of his best friends in the service and was honorably discharged in 1954 with the rank of Corporal. After the war, Ronald returned to baseball playing for Lubbock Baseball in the West Texas – New Mexico League (Class B) until 1955 where he went on to play for the Bradford Blue Sox in the New York-Pennsylvania League (Class D) until 1957.

Ronald worked for National Grange Mutual Insurance Company for 40 years until his retirement, being promoted from adjuster, to assistant manager, to head litigator and arbitrator. Throughout that time, Ronald’s love for sports never left him. He was a devout golfer playing in many golf tournaments well into his 60’s, and was a member of the Wachusett Country Club. However, what Ronald enjoyed most was spending time with his grandchildren, whom he loved very much, especially on their annual vacations to Cape Cod.

Ronald’s family would like to express their gratitude to the nursing staff at the Holden Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the kind and compassionate care they provided him over the past few years.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Ronald’s family from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, September 20, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. A memorial service honoring his life will follow at 12 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Holden Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Activities Fund, 32 Mayo Drive, Holden, MA 01520.

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