William Cooper “Billy” Peters

Published 10:37 pm Monday, September 28, 2015

MOULTRIE – The Honorable William Cooper Peters of Moultrie died peacefully at his residence on Sept. 28, 2015, at the age of 93.  

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church in Moultrie with the Rev. Dr. Hugh Buchanan Ward officiating, assisted by the Rev. Anthony Joseph “A.J.” Mealor and the Rev. Jason Corey Edwards. Interment, with military honors, will follow at Westview Cemetery.  Casket bearers will be Joseph Ashley Tucker, John Clifton Peters, Jr., Samuel Aaron Peters, Jason Clark Edwards, Charles Oliver “Chuck” Hinson III, Harry William Hinson, James Douglas “Doug” Peters, Jr., and Daniel Hodges Peters.

Judge Peters was born in Colquitt County on May 7, 1922, to William Cleveland Peters and Nancy Elizabeth Cooper Peters.  He was educated in the Moultrie public schools, graduating from Moultrie High School in 1939.  After graduation, he and three of his closest friends, John Millsap, Clifton “Click” Norman, and Butch Mosley, set out together to travel the United States.  Their three-month adventure took them to thirty-five states as well as parts of Mexico and Canada.  During their travels they would stop and work odd jobs in order to earn spending money to continue their journey.  Upon returning to Moultrie, he went to work for Riverside Manufacturing Company until the United States found themselves thrust into World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.  Judge Peters, along with his three friends, felt the call to serve their country.  They reacted by going to Spence Field to take the cadet exam, which they passed.  On March 31, 1942, the four friends enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps as pilots.  Billy was responsible for ferrying cargo over the Hump from Burma to China in a C-46.  He served in this capacity until the end of the war.  Sadly two of his three closest friends died in training exercise accidents before the war ended.  Judge Peters honored them by naming his firstborn son, John Clifton.  He went on to study history and law at the University of Georgia where he graduated in 1950.  While at Georgia he was a member of the Beta Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity serving on the Interfraternity Council, a member of Phi Kappa Literary Society, and a member of the Pythagorean Math Club.

Judge Peters met and fell in love with Ellen Brown, daughter of John Astor Brown and Bernice Kizzie McHargue Brown.  They married in 1950 in Thomasville and enjoyed 54 years of marriage before Ellen’s death on Nov. 6, 2004.

He began his law career working in Savannah, Ga., with the Federal Civil Service.  In 1952, Judge Peters returned to Moultrie to go into private practice with the late Judge George Arthur Horkan, Jr.  During his career, he served as Justice of the Peace, which later became the Magistrate Judge, as well as Judge of Juvenile Court.  “He was deeply satisfied by the career choice he made and felt like the most rewarding thing you could do in life was to help someone else,” the family said.  He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Moultrie where he previously served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.  He was a member of Kiwanis Club serving as Past President.  For over 50 years he was a third-degree mason, belonging to Moultrie Lodge #381 chartered through the Grand Lodge of Georgia Free and Accepted Masons.  “He felt there was a time for everything and was blessed by each new day God had given him and felt that everyday was a good day,” the family said.

Billy is predeceased by his parents; his wife; his daughter, Louise Peters Coleman; and his sister, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Peters Hinson.  

He is survived by his sons, John Clifton “Click” Peters (Deborah “Debbie” Flowers Peters) and Floyd Brown Peters (Cindy Burt Peters) of Moultrie; his daughter Luellen Peters Tucker (Douglas Lamar Tucker) of Leesburg; grandchildren, Jennifer Leslie Tucker of Camilla, Anne Elizabeth Peters Edwards (Jason Corey Edwards), of Cornelia, Ga., Joseph Ashley Tucker, of Leesburg, John Clifton Peters, Jr. (Rebecca Hurst Peters), of Moultrie, Hannah Coleman of Moultrie, Samuel Aaron Peters of Annapolis, Md., and Alison Morgan Peters of Boone, N.C.; great-grandchildren, Jason Clark “Jase” Edwards, John Corey Edwards, Jack Cooper Edwards, James Cleveland Edwards of Cornelia, Ga., and John Clifton “Tripp” Peters III, of Moultrie; brother, James Douglas Peters (Shirley Hodges Peters) of Athens, Ga.; nephews, Charles  Oliver “Chuck” Hinson III (Jennifer Forshey Peters) of Tallahassee, Fla., Harry William Hinson of Havana, Fla., James Douglas “Doug” Peters, Jr. (Wendy Ashworth Peters) of Dalton, Ga., and Daniel Hodges Peters (Susanne Garrard Peters) of McDonough, Ga.; nieces, Elizabeth Ann Hinson of Atlanta, Ga., and Kay Marie “Katy” Hinson of Mobile, Ala.; and several great-nieces and nephews.  

The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Cobb Funeral Chapel.  

The family may be contacted at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Peters, Sr.  

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 501 First Street Southeast, Moultrie, Ga., 31768, or Colquitt Regional Hospice, Post Office Box 3548, Moultrie, Ga., 31776, or your favorite charity.

Cobb Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.

Please sign the online guestbook at www.cobbfuneralchapel.com or www.moultrieobserver.com.