Obituary of Ronald B. Peterson

Ronald Peterson, 70, passed away February 10, 2017 at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ. Ron grew up in Watchung and lived there at the time of his passing. Prior to his retirement in 2006, Ron was a Field Manager with Exxon in Linden. Ron excelled in organized sports. He was best known for his agility and skill on the basketball court in school and municipal leagues, where he had many seasons as high scorer on championship teams. He attended Watchung Hills Regional High School and graduated, with honors, from Valley Forge Military Academy, having received a basketball scholarship. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso. Baseball was also a passion. As a starting pitcher, also in school and municipal leagues, Ron earned several MVP awards and trophies for the most strike outs. He was drafted into the farm system of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees where a serious arm injury prevented a career. A true Yankee fan, he was a regular at Yankee Stadium over the years, and more recently never missed a game on television He enjoyed coin collecting for many years and was a skilled and successful stock market analyst. He was predeceased by the love of his life, his wife of thirty-five years, Paula Yood Peterson in 2016. Ron and Paula were dedicated animal lovers with love for their dogs and cats, many being adopted, that they considered family. In their retirement , they shared seats side-by-side at the black jack table and thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of the game. Ron attended many concerts over the years, and his favorite was Led Zeppelin. Surviving are his son, Kyle Peterson, and grandson Jake Ryan Peterson, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, many nieces and nephews and many loving in-laws and friends. Ron’s request for cremation arrangements are being handled by Higgins Home for Funerals in Watchung.. A memorial service will be held at a future date and will be posted on Higgins website. Donations may be made in Ron’s name to the Plainfield Humane Society 75 Rock Ave. Plainfield, NJ 07063