Obituary of Theodore John Peters

Theodore J. Peters Theodore J. "Ted" Peters, a Readington resident for 67 years, died Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at the age of 95. He gained recognition as a chemical engineer, as a private pilot, and as an active participant in Readington's governance. Born in Bayonne in 1917, Peters graduated from Scotch Plains High School and from Wagner College, with a degree in chemistry. He went to work at Esso, as it was then known, in 1937, and during World War II was associated with the Manhattan Project, developing synthetic lubricants for the earliest jet engines. He earned 19 patents for his efforts. He retired from Exxon in 1978, and worked as a private engineering consultant until 1992. Peters flew private aircraft for a period of 72 years. He took his initial pilot training at Westfield Airport in 1939, and he soloed after a mere six hours of instruction. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol during the war years. From the early 1950's he flew from an airstrip at his home on County Line Road. He accumulated 5,000 hours as a pilot, flying a succession of planes: an Aeronca Champ, a Piper Clipper, a Cessna 182, and a Cessna 210. Peters served his community in many capacities, as a member of the Board of Education, the Township Committee, the Planning Board, the Board of Adjustment, and the Solid Waste Management Commission. He also served on the Hunterdon County Republican Committee. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Grace Richards Peters, and by two daughters, Elizabeth Peters Blankenhorn of Villanova, PA and Jeanne F. Peters, of Columbus NC, and their husbands, Timothy Blankenhorn and H. Dennis Crain.