Still a Knight after 73 years

One of the original members of the Schuylerville Knights of Columbus Council No. 1735, Mr. Peters will turn 92 on May 15 and mark 73 years with the “K of C.”

The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world. Founded in 1882 and named for Christopher Columbus, the organization prides itself on the principles of unity, charity, fraternity and patriotism.

Mr. Peters showed great pride in his seven-plus decades of service: “We built [the parish hall] so we could have bingo,” he remembered. “It took two weeks, which I had to take off from working at GE.”

Mr. Peters worked for General Electric for more than 33 years as a tool maker and foreman. Though time has caught up with his physical abilities, Mr. Peters is still being acknowledged for his work: Recently, his Knights of Columbus council celebrated their 95th anniversary with a gathering where he received a service award from the Knights of Columbus Capital District Conference.

“I don’t know if I deserve an award,” the honoree said modestly. “I’ve just been there all my life.”

The nonagenarian also recalled with humor some lighter moments with the K of C: “The bar was real popular,” he said. “We used to get 12 guys a day to play cards. And when it first opened up, you would pay $1 and drink beer all day.”

A small smile came across his face: “You can’t do that now.”

Nowadays, Mr. Peters stays at home with his wife, Mary, and caretaker Donna DeLuca. He spends his time reading, gardening and caring for his fish. However, the fond memories of the K of C are still alive for him: “He has a lot of stories to tell,” said Ms. DeLuca. “He’s a very interesting person.”

Mr. Peters also has a deep devotion for his family: He is a father of three, grandfather of six, and great-grandfather of one, who comes to visit every Wednesday and Thursday.

“He loves them all so much,” said Ms. DeLuca. “He’s so proud of them.”

Though many of his Knights of Columbus friends have passed on, Mr. Peters stills keep in contact with a few members. However, nothing can replace his fond memories: “We used to have a lot of fun,” he explained. “Every week [we] were looking forward to seeing where we would be going for a meeting and who we would be seeing.”

“He’s just an all-around nice, gentle person,” Ms. DeLuca said. “It’s truly a pleasure to take care of him.[[In-content Ad]]