Niles Peterson was born in Dallas, TX on January 20, 1943 and departed this life in Guthrie, OK on July 17, 2020.
He attended Dallas schools and graduated from South Oak Cliff high school where he was active in student government and several sports until he was sidelined by an injury in a football game that left him without a spleen. After high school Niles followed in his brothers’ footsteps to Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.
Niles’ early career in Dallas was in credit and finance and served him well when he responded to an ad for a credit manager position with a furniture manufacturing company. Niles decided to leave Braniff Airways to accept the position and moved his young family to Guthrie.
Niles’ love of sports was instrumental in his relationships with his daughters, grandchildren, and many youths in the Putnam City and Guthrie areas. He loved teaching game skills and saw coaching as an opportunity to teach life lessons which would endure long after the games were over.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred Rebecca and Joseph Soren Peterson, and three brothers Joseph Soren Jr, Adrian Frank, S. D. (Smokey) Peterson, brother-in-law Stanley Clifford Keeney, and nephew Gregory Rush Peterson. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Keeney Peterson; two daughters, Gwendolyn Paige and Laurie Suzanne; four grandchildren, Lawrence Niles and Dyson Gregory Brackett of Guthrie; Frankie Paige Brackett and Tanner Meredith of Ennis, TX; Jordan Rebecca Elam and husband Mike and children, Kirby Marie and Ryker Soren of Montgomery, TX; sister in law Martha Keeney of Grand Saline, TX; nieces and nephews Susie Peterson Dixon and husband Don of Arlington, TX; David Peterson and wife Linda of Arlington, TX; Joseph Soren Peterson, III & Douglas Pierce Peterson of Corpus Christi TX; Jay Byron Peterson and wife Gloria of Houston, TX; Adrian Frank Peterson, Jr of Lewisville, TX; and many more great nieces and nephews.
Our Special thanks to Niles’ hospice nurses, Amy Ethridge and Allie, for their loving care and to our church family which has supported us on every level.
We will all greatly miss Niles’ smile, his positive attitude, his encouragement, his sense of humor, his love of family, his passion of cooking, his willingness to listen, and his strong faith, which will give us comfort and peace until we see him again.
Memorial service will be held Thursday, July 14, at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church, 102 E. Noble Ave, Guthrie, OK 73044
Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Presbyterian Church, 102 E. Noble Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044.