Rev. Rodney G. Peters, 79, formerly of Oak Park, died on March 2, 2018. Born on Feb. 3, 1939 in Honey Creek, Iowa, he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa as class valedictorian and national merit scholar, then graduated as valedictorian of Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, and went on to graduate with honors from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was an associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church (now First United) in Oak Park in the ’60s and ’70s and served many congregations during his career as a Presbyterian minister, most recently at First Presbyterian Church in Scammon, Kansas. He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, and his five pets.
A two-time mayor of Crane, Missouri, he was the former president of the Crane Lion’s Club, trusted counsel within the church leadership, and active with the Neosho Democratic Committee.
Rev. Rodney Peters is survived by his wife, Sandra Lee Redmond; his children, Stephanie Lee Phillips Markstein, Shannon Lee Banks (husband, Richard), Raleigh Gene Peters (wife, Laura), and Samantha Lee Terrell (husband, Joshua); his brother, James Peters; his sister, Sharon Bower; his grandchildren, Arielle Markstein, Mackenzie Markstein, Madeline Banks, Jennings Terrell, and Sterling Terrell. He was preceded in death by his parents Clyde and Agnes (Axtell) Peters.
Memorial services were held March 8 at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Joplin, Missouri. Interment at Great Valley Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Malvern, Pennsylvania will take place in June.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Westminster Woods, a Kansas Christian Camp, c/o Clark Funeral Home, P.O. Box 66, Neosho, Missouri 64850.
