June 29, 1938 – May 17, 2023
Sallisaw – Funeral services for Joe Franklin Peters Sr., 84, of Sallisaw, were at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at First Baptist Church in Sallisaw.
Cremation was under the direction of Agent Mallory Martin Funeral Service, Inc.
Mr. Peters was born on June 29, 1938, to Grady Peters and Pluma (Barnes) Peters. He died on May 17, 2023.
He started school in 1944 at Seven Oaks Elementary; went to high school at Central for eighth and ninth grade; Sallisaw for 10th-12th; and graduated in 1956 as a member of the State Honor Society.
He enlisted in the Air Force on May 30, 1956. After Basic Training he was assigned to USAF Security Service. He attended and graduated from Russian language school at Syracuse University and served overseas in Japan from 1957-58.
From 1958-59 he attended USMA Prep School. In 1959 he won a competitive appointment to the USAF Academy, which he attended from 1959-63. He came back to Oklahoma to complete his Pilot Training at Vance AFB in Enid, from 1963-64. He was a Pilot; B-52, Strategic Air Command from 1964-67 at Loring AFB in Maine; Andersen AFB, Guam; and McCoy AFB, Florida; an Aircraft Commander, C-130, Clark AB, Republic of the Philippines from 1968-69; Instrument Instructor Pilot and Flight commander, C-130, Dyess AFB, Texas from 1970-72; Operations Officer, Indian Mountain AFS, Alaska, 1972-73; Aircraft Maintenance Quality Control Office/Field Maintenance Supervisor, Rhein-Main AFB, Federal Republic of Germany, from 1974-75; and as 12th AF Operations Plans Staff Officer, Bergstrom AFB, Texas, from 1976-80.
He retired from active duty on Sept. 30, 1980. He served two tours in Vietnam.
He was also a member of the county jail trust and Chairman of the Sequoyah County Republican Party.
He and his wife, Trudy, were married on Aug. 22, 1992. Together they have five children, 21 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
In 1995, they opened the Peters Agency and started Peters Agency Care Management. They later added Home Health, Provider Services, Hospice, and Palliative Care.
Pallbearers were his grandsons, Austin Choate, Daniel Choate, Justice Philpot, Ethan Philpot, Noah Peters and Peter Priddy.
Honorary pallbearers were Caleb Parker, Joey Almazan, Eric Abele, Matthew Rider and Stephen Priddy.
