Ronald Peterson

Ron Peterson played the game of life the way he played every other game: with everything he had, and then some. He believed in family, in a faith that held firm through every season, and in the kind of life that glorifies God simply by being well lived. He turned 83 last Friday. He passed on Monday. And in those quiet days in between, he had the Braves on. 

He was born in Massillon, Ohio, the oldest of five boys, the son of Coach Bill Peterson and Marjorie Knowlton Peterson. When his father was named head football coach at Florida State in 1960, the family packed up and headed south. Ron arrived at Florida High as a senior and made himself known immediately, lettering in football, basketball, and track. He went on to earn a full football scholarship to the University of Delaware, where he was a part of the 1963 UPI small college national championship team. 

After graduation, he headed to Port St. Joe, Florida, to begin his life as a teacher and coach. He met and married Linda Price, the daughter of another teacher. Everything that mattered most in his life grew from that decision. They built a home and a family and spent 59 years together. There was no one Ron wanted to be around more than Linda, and she was right beside him at the end. 

He went through ROTC and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the army and served in Vietnam, coming home with an honorable discharge and a quiet sense of purpose. He returned to Florida State as a graduate assistant football coach while earning his master’s degree, and later a six-year degree in educational administration from Valdosta State. He went on to serve as head football coach at Madison High School and then as principal of Brooks County High School, and technology coordinator at Cook County High School, where he believed, without exception, that every child deserves a real opportunity to learn. 

In the early 1980s, he taught himself to program a computer. He built scheduling software that is commonplace today but was remarkable then. He never made a big deal of it. That was Ron. He served his community through the VFW, rising to Quartermaster and Commander, and gave decades of leadership to the Quitman United Methodist Church. Few things made him happier than settling into the Varsity Club at Doak Campbell Stadium to watch his Noles. 

He was also a scratch golfer who approached the game the same way he approached everything else: with discipline, patience, and a quiet determination to be excellent. He spent many happy days with golfing partners at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, Circlestone Country Club and Quitman Country Club, where he chipped in to win the July 4th Club Championship one year. When his body would no longer let him play, he channeled all of that focus into bridge and became a formidable player. 

But ask anyone who knew him and they will tell you the same thing. His focus was his family. 

He was an engaged father who was present for everything. He was an even better grandfather to his six grandchildren and one great-grandson, the kind of grandfather who came to every soccer game, every cheer competition, every Odyssey of the Mind performance he could reach. He was the uncle who came to every graduation and every milestone, because to Ron, being there was not optional. It was simply what you did. 

His favorite week of the year was the Peterson Family Reunion at Dog Island, Florida. For 45 years, he never missed a minute of it. The golf, the Cadillac games, the shrimp boil, the late nights on the beach: he was there for all of it, and he cherished each one. This year was the first time he could not make it. 

Fifteen years ago, he was diagnosed with myositis and fought it without complaint, always looking for something new to try. After a stroke last December, his body finally said enough. 

He died as he had lived: with Linda beside him and his faith intact. The Peterson Family Reunion will go on. He would insist on it. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Marge Peterson; his brothers, Thomas Peterson and David Peterson; and his sister-in-law, Kathy Brady Peterson. He is survived by his beloved wife, Linda Price Peterson; his daughter, Alisa Barber (John); his grandchildren, Kylie Kirch (Brad), Chandler Staiti (Nick), and Amanda Barchie; his great-grandson, Rhett Kirch; his son, Chad Peterson (Jenya); and his grandsons, Daniel, Mark, and John Peterson. He is also survived by his brothers, Jon Peterson and Bill Peterson (Joanna); his brother-in-law, John C. Price (Sue); his sister-in-law, Jacque Asbel; and many loving nieces and nephews. 

 A graveside service will be held at Cypress Creek Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Kinard, Florida, on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM CT / 11:00 AM ET. 

Local arrangements are entrusted to the caring staff of Comforter Funeral Home in Port St. Joe, Florida.