Raymond Webster Peterman

Raymond Webster Peterman, 91, Kansas City, Missouri, passed away Friday, December 25, 2009 at the Kansas City Hospice House.

Raymond was born on June 24, 1918 near Rich Hill, Missouri, the son of Joe Peterman, Jr. and Clara (Hall) Peterman. He graduated from Rich Hill High School in 1936. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, as a Radioman on the U.S.S. Joseph T. Dickman from 1942 until 1945 and was involved in five major landing operations. In 1949, he received a BA in Business Administration, from the University of Missouri at Columbia, where he was a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity. On October 7, 1950, he married Ella Louise Robinson. They lived in Rich Hill, Missouri, where during the 1950's, he was elected Committeeman of Rich Hill on the Republican ticket. He was Cashier of Rich Hill Security Bank; Secretary of the Rich Hill Commercial Club; and a founder of the Garden Club of Rich Hill. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. In 1955, he was a Commissioner to the 167th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. In 1956, he and his wife moved to Hickman Mills (now Kansas City), Missouri, where he became Senior Vice President of and served on the Board of Director of the Hickman Mills Bank (now UMB Bank).

From 1961 until 1967, he was a partner in the Slaughter Insurance Agency. He was a community leader, holding office in the Hickman Mills Chamber of Commerce; the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce; the Richards-Gebauer Base Community Council; the Southeastern Jackson County Mental Health Association; the Harry S. Truman Chapter of the Air Force Association (AFA); and the Missouri AFA. In 1979, he was honored as Citizen of the Year by the South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. He served as National Vice President of the AFA from 1989 to 1991.

A trombone player since childhood, he performed with the Medical Arts Symphony and the American Legion Band. He was a member of the 1st Presbyterian Church of Rich Hill, and later, the Ruskin Heights Presbyterian Church, Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, and Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral.

He became a member of Delaware Crossing Chapter, Kansas Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) in 1983, with his membership eligibility being derived from the Revolutionary War Service of his ancestor, Asa Eggleson, Jr. (1763-1840), and has served in many SAR positions at the chapter, state, and national level. He was a Republican candidate for State Representative in 1990 and for Missouri Secretary of State in 2000.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and by his wife Louise, March 23, 1999. Survivors include sons, Raymond W. Peterman, Jr. and wife, Becky of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Timothy E. Peterman of the home, Stephen C. Peterman and wife, Carole, of Wilmington, North Carolina, and John R. Peterman of Butler, Missouri; seven grandchildren, Ryan and Eric Peterman of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Cassie, Chris, and Thomas Peterman of Wilmington, North Carolina, Joseph Peterman and friend, Stacey, of Gonzales, Louisiana, and Jacob Peterman of Butler, Missouri; one great granddaughter, Kelby Peterman of Gonzales, Louisiana; two brothers, Melvin L. Peterman and wife, Edwina, of California, Missouri and Paul E. Peterman of Rich Hill, Missouri; one brother-in-law, Roy E. Robinson of Auburn, Missouri; one sister-in-law, Martha Veasman of Benton, Arkansas; three nephews and three nieces, and a number of other relatives.

Visitation and Funeral Service

A visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee. Funeral services will be 9 a.m. Thursday, December 31, 2009, at the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105. Private family burial will follow at Millcreek Cemetery in Silex, Missouri.