Richard E. Peters, M.D.

Richard E. Peters, M.D.

December 12, 1929 – June 15, 2020 

Richard Edward Peters was born in Omaha, Nebraska on December 12, 1929.  He was the first born of Edward and Eleanor (Kosters) Peters and had one brother, Gene, who was five years younger.

He grew up on 34^th and Cuming, attended Yates Elementary School for Kindergarten and 1^st grade and then transferred to St. Cecelia’s for 2^nd – 8^th grades, where he was class president in 6^th, 7^th, & 8^th grades.  He made his 1^st Holy Communion and Confirmation in May 1937 at age 7.  On May 30, 1943, the same day his mother became Catholic, he received a 2-year scholarship to Creighton Prep for attaining the highest test score on the high school entrance exam.

He was a proud graduate of the Class of 1947 where he played football and basketball for 4 years and ran track and played baseball for 3 years.  He was class president for 3 of his 4 years of high school, took 4 years of Latin and Greek, was the Sodality president his senior year, was a member of the newspaper staff, yearbook staff, the treasurer at Cornhusker Boys State in 1946, and he was the 1947 prom king.  He also won the World Herald Most Outstanding Graduate of the Year.  In 1989, he was an honoree at the Prep Hall of Fame Awards Dinner for all of his contributions to Prep during and after high school.

He attended Marquette on a football scholarship but came back to Creighton to study pre-med after a knee injury and a concussion sidelined him.  While at CU, he lettered in track in 1948 and 1949.  He was accepted into Creighton Medical School after his junior year in college and graduated in 1954.

In 1953, he married Mary Anne Ryan at Holy Cross Catholic Church.  They were married for 62 years before she passed away in 2015.  June 20 would’ve been their 67^th, and we think he wanted to be with her to celebrate.  He referred to her as his best friend and coach to get him to heaven.

He was a flight surgeon in the Air Force during the Korean War, stationed in Harlingen, Texas.  He did his general surgery residence at the Omaha Veterans Hospital.  After his military duty was completed, he began his private practice in 1962 and continued through 1988.  For over 25 years, he was the team physician for Prep, UNO, and the Omaha Mustangs football teams with his dear friends and coaches, Don Leahy and Bernie Berigan.  He was inducted into the Prep Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 for his many years of service to the football team.  He was the long-time company physician for Kellogg’s, where all of his kids were lucky enough to get summer jobs.  After he closed his private practice, he became the medical director for IBP in Sioux City, opened the Wound Care Clinic for Bergan, did some consulting for Union Pacific and Mutual of Omaha and finished his career as the medical director of Mercy Care Center.

In his retirement years, he loved organizing and attending lunches for his 1947 classmates and travelling with Mary Anne to see his kids and grandkids.  He loved music, singing, telling stories and socializing.  He enjoyed a good joke and had a wonderful laugh.  He was late for everything but the last one to leave a party.  He loved his kids and grandkids and enjoyed hearing updates about each of them.

He was preceded in death by wife, Mary Anne (Ryan) Peters; son, Tom Peters; parents, Edward and Eleanor Peters; brother, Gene Peters.  He’s survived by sons, Joe (Margaret) Peters and Mike (Mary Jo) Peters; daughters: Ann (Dennis) Bartlett, Mary (John) Hunt, Marcia (Jeff) Holbrook, and Sue (Joe) Francis; 32 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren (and 2 more on the way); sister-in-law, Doris Peters; many nieces and nephews.

He taught his kids many lessons in life, but the most important one was his deep love of the Catholic faith.  He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, physician and friend.  He will be greatly missed!

VISITATION will be Thursday, July 2nd from 5pm to 7pm with VIGIL SERVICE beginning at 7pm at the West Center Chapel.  MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Friday, July 3^rd at 10:30am at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church (11802 Pacific St.).  INTERMENT: St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery with military honors by Millard American Legion Post 374 & VFW Post 8334.  Memorials to the Poor Clares, St. Robert Bellarmine Church, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or Masses.

To view live broadcast of services, go to heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Livecast” button on our homepage or click on Service Links below.

Vigil Service: https://boxcast.tv/view/dr-richard-peters-245614

Funeral Mass: https://boxcast.tv/view/dr-richard-peters-mass-793525

Graveside Service: https://boxcast.tv/view/dr-richard-peters-graveside-389855