George Peters

Memorial Services will be held in celebration for the life of George Daniel Peters 92 of Milan, New Mexico will be held on Thursday-April 30, 2009-11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Grants, New Mexico. Pastor Reuben Thomas will officiate. Burial has taken place at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.



George Daniel "Buster" Peters was born December 11, 1916 in Independence, Colorado to George Daniel Peters, Sr. and Mary Ann "Mayme" Bauer Peters. Long time Milan resident Buster passed away on April 22, 2009 at the age of 92. Buster moved his family to the Grants-Milan area in 1956 after having heard of the uranium boomtown while working on the Wilson Tunnel job on the island of Oahu then the Territory of Hawaii. Wanting to work for himself he purchased a piece of property up San Mateo Road and started G & F Welding and Machine Shop.



Buster and his wife Emma began their lives together in the copper mining town of Bisbee, Arizona exchanging their wedding vows on December 12, 1936. After having moved back to the Cripple Creek District in Colorado. Buster and Emma had three children, Little Buster, Gladys, and Pepper. Little Buster passed away to the age of 7 months. Buster worked in the gold mines of the district doing various jobs starting at the rock crusher advancing to Master Mechanic.



Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Buster arrived on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii to work on a job building the underground fuel storage tanks for the military at Red Hill. After a year on this job, Buster came home to his family in Colorado. They then moved to California where he worked in the shipyards of the San Francisco Bay area as an electrician. After a brief period, Buster was then drafted into the United States Navy and served his country as a Master at Arms in Treasure Island in California until his was honorably discharged after the end of the war. The Peters continued their home at Victor, Colorado throughout.



Buster's brother Frank was working for E. E. Black and Morrison-Knudson getting ready to build the Wilson Tunnel on Oahu, which connects Honolulu to the Windward side of the Island in the early 1950s. Frank hired Buster to be the foreman overseeing the pouring of the concrete in the tunnel. For a short period of time the family joined Buster in Hawaii before closing hp their home in Colorado and moving to Milan.



From 1956 until 2001 Buster ran his welding and machine shop until at the age of 85 when his eyesight failed. Buster worked for a variety of customers from drilling companies, mines, and ranchers to the carrot field operators and the individual. No job was too small. Buster often would go out on after hour jobs and was always up to working out in the field. Buster was well known of the numerous drive lines he built.



Buster and Emma recently celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary in December and were honored in the Cibola Beacon as the featured Valentine's couple. Buster was bell known by faimly and friends alike as a wonderful story teller.



He is preceded in death by parents: George and Mayme Peters; Sister: Elizabeth, Brother: Frank and two sons: George, Jr. and Paul Eugene.



He is survived by his loving wife: Emma; Daughter: Gladys, eight Grandchildren, fourteen Great Grandchildrena nd nine Great Great Grandchildren.