In Memory of John Joseph Peters | 1958-2009


My dear friend John
passed away suddenly on
Sunday, 20 September 2009.

He was just 51 years old.

Predeceased by his father, Joseph, John is survived by his dear wife and best friend Wendy; his son, Joseph; daughter and son-in-law, Suzanne and Todd McRae and mother, Alice.		 John J. Peters
03 January 1958 ~ 20 September 2009
Rochester, NY USA



I had known John since we were kids, and he was part of the reason that I left Ashly Audio to join Computer Consoles [CCI] once I graduated from RIT in 1982. John decided to leave CCI in the mid-1980's rather than being relocated by the company to Irvine, CA as part of yet another engineering reorganization. After a very brief stint at Xerox he joined Performance Technologies [PTI] working his way to the role of Senior Vice President, Platform Engineering and Chief Technology Officer.
PTI posted a fitting IN MEMORIAM on their web site to John, I've copied a small excerpt here:
"A long-term, well known and respected visionary in the embedded systems market, John contributed to the definition, development and practical implementation of many open architecture bus standards from VMEbus through xTCA. Of particular note, he was the spearhead behind PICMG 2.16, the industry's first open standard for switched fabric architectures. He was also the father of VME-64, a significant performance enhancement to the original VMEbus design. As an alumnus, John was actively engaged in supporting various Rochester Institute of Technology initiatives including the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences and the Imagine R.I.T. Innovation and Creativity Festival. In addition to his professional career and associations, John enjoyed many personal interests including motorcycles, photography, snowmobiling, sailing, and target shooting."
From his work at PTI John had one patent titled, "Fault tolerant network switch", United States Patent 6,639,895, issued 28 October 2003. John was also a very active member of the Advisory Board for our start-up company Tenrehte Technologies.

He also thoroughly enjoyed sports cars (BMW's) and RC helicopters.

It was also a big thrill for John to have his son Joe intern with us at Improv Systems prior to Joe starting his official CO-OP blocks required as part of the electrical engineering program at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Prior to his funeral [which was held on Friday, 25 September 2009] I was compelled to write a few words as my own tribute to John which were shared during a gathering the family hosted after his interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery:
Through the years of growing up with John and spending time with him, his family and friends, I am fortunate to have many fond memories of John; I'll share a brief list:

Over the years John and I would "discover" just how similar our interests and tastes are, so similar in fact that we each own the same teak kitchen table chairs from Viking Furniture.

Though my heart is filled with enormous sadness at this time, I am fortunate and eternally grateful to call John my friend. He was the type of person who lived life to the fullest, who took advantage of each and every moment. Along with everyone that knew John, I can attest to his varied interests and many talents, but also to the gentleness and kindness to which he personified - fundamental qualities of John's character.

To Wendy, Suzanne, Joe and John's mom: I mourn with you in your time of crushing loss and truly hope that your grief will be replaced by the precious memories you have of your husband, dad, and son.

For of my dear friend John, I can say with clarity that he will continue to live on in my heart and spirit.

Someone (Bessie A. Stanley) once wrote:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

John Joseph Peters, my dear friend, we love you, and we will forever miss you.

Here is a small collection of pictures of John over the years...

Jon Paul Boucher, John Peters, Andy Milner
Jon Paul Boucher (top), John Peters (age ~7 years), Andy Milner (bottom)
JJP BK Sophomore
JJP BK Junior
JJP BK Senior
John Peters Riding
Reg Cable, John and his son Joe
John Peters Riding
John Peters Riding
John, Suzanne, and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding
John, Suzanne, and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding 29 Aug 2009
John and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding
John and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding 29 Aug 2009
John and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding
John and Wendy at Suzanne's Wedding 29 Aug 2009
John's Serious Photographer Portrait
John's Serious "Photographer" Portrait
John's Monument
John's Monument
John's Monument Close Up
John's Monument Close Up
Wendy Peters accepted award from RIT on behalf of her late husband, John J. Peters
RIT President Bill Destler presented a commemorative plaque to Wendy Peters 06 May 2011 during the dedication of the John J. Peters Student Innovation Lounge, located adjacent to the RIT Center for Student Innovation.
This particular picture by Elizabeth Lamark is Copyright © 2011 Rochester Institute of Technology