Obituary of William J. Peterson

William “Bill” Peterson passed away peacefully on September 16, 2020. He was born October 4, 1928 on Tremont Street in New Britain to Waldorf “Pete” Peterson and Mary (Stewart) Peterson. He was a lifelong resident of New Britain. In June of 1946, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy three days after graduating from New Britain High School. He was assigned to the U.S. Navy attack transport USS Okanogan, which patrolled the east coast and Caribbean after World War II. After completing two years of service in the Navy, he attended the RCA School of Electronics in New York City, and then returned to New Britain where he met the love of his life, Catherine “Kay” Dolce. They were married at St Joseph’s Church in 1952 and bought a house on Bedford Street where they lived for 68 years. Bill worked for various companies in the developing field of electronics, and eventually was employed by the Connecticut Civil Defense Department, where he was responsible for calibrating and distributing Geiger counters to the municipalities in Connecticut during the Cold War era of the early 1960s. He was hired in 1966 by Northeast Utilities as their first Environmental Specialist, where he developed and managed the radiological, meteorological, air emissions, and groundwater monitoring programs for the nuclear and fossil fuel power plants in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He retired from Northeast Utilities in 1992. He and Kay enjoyed traveling to Europe and the Caribbean and exploring the National Parks and cities of the United States. In retirement, he took great pleasure in making his grandchildren laugh and supporting their interests and activities. He also enjoyed investing in the stock market and meeting the cousins at the Mohegan Sun Casino for breakfast and fun with the slot machines. He was a member of Knights of Columbus Daly Council Number 12 and a member of the Fourth Degree. He created and served as Chairman of the Vocations Committee, which raised money to financially support young men entering the priesthood and young women wishing to become nuns. Bill was an active member of Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church for 60 years, where he contributed his time in many capacities, including serving on the Church Council and as a Eucharistic Minister, assisting during mass, and working at Sunday afternoon Bingo. He is survived by Kay, his wife of 68 years; two sons, Gary of New Britain and Steven and his wife Diane of Brookfield, CT, and their children Lisa, Kevin, Christopher, and Timothy. He was predeceased by his son Bill and is survived by Bill’s son Sean. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and their spouses. There will be a private funeral mass and burial with military honors for family only. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Bill’s memory to Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church or a charity of the donor’s choice. The arrangements are entrusted to Farrell Funeral Home, 110 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT.