Desabee Thaddeus Harold Peters, Jr.

Desabee Thaddeus Harold Peters, Jr., was the oldest son of Desabee Peters.  In 1930, Desabe Peters, Jr. was 10 years old, which means he had to have been born around 1920.   Fortunately, I was able to find an obituary in the Birmingham newsmedia, that gives a beautiful and full account of Desabee’s life.   To link to it, visit this link:

Desabee died in 2011, and this is the full text of his obituary:

PETERS JR., DESABEE THADDEUS HAROLD  June 23, 1919 – October 27, 2011. Mr. Peters is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a devout member of Holy Family Catholic Church until his health prevented him from attending.

He was a graduate of the Industrial High School (now A.H. Parker High School) and Miles College. He was a devoted teacher at Lewis Elementary, Samuel Ullman High School and later at Jones Valley High School (as head of the History Department). He loved his students and  his tenure in the Birmingham Education System for over 40 years. “Pete”, as he was known by his friends and family, will be missed.

We will miss his love of holiday dinners, dances, and traditions, his straightforwardness, and his real zest for life. He had such a love of history, not only of the world, but he was always excited to serve as family historian, remembering and cautioning family never to forget who and where we came from. Having pride in those memories of a strong loving family, he attended every annual family reunion that took place all over the world as long as he could, even venturing to Africa in the 80’s, when his cousin Father George Clements was being honored.

He was preceded in death by his parents Desabee and Agnes Peters, his infant sister, Gladys Elizabeth Peters, his brother, Charlie Louis Peters, and his sister, Montee Peters Odom (Raymonde’ Sr.).

He leaves to cherish those memories, daughters Patricia Peters Williams, and Deborah Peters Rivera, grandchildren, Muriel Williams, Katrina Williams, Angel Rivera, Amalia Rivera, and Ana Maria Rivera, sister James Edna Peters Wells (Carlton), and countless other family members. Although there were many close friends over the years, we want to remember childhood friend William “Bill” Clarke and close friend Ms. Ira Taylor. Public viewing will be held Sunday, October 30, 2011 from 1:00pm until 5:00pm. Service of remembrance will be Monday October 31, 2011 at Ridout’s Elmwood Chapel at 3:00pm, with visitation one hour prior. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery. Father George Clements will be officiating.