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Note: Mike G. Peters 01/26/99 Mike G. Peters, 97, 139 Peters Lane, Hampton, died Sunday, January 24, 1999, at his residence following an extended illness. Mr. Peters was a native of Carter County and a son of the late Frank and Joann Archer Peters. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Texie Calhoun Peters, seven brothers, five sisters, two grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Mr. Peters formerly was employed at the Bemberg Corporation for 24 years. He retired from the Uniroyal Corporation, Mishawaka, Ind., after working there for 15 years. He was a member of Hampton Christian Church. Survivors include three daughters, Louise Hazelwood, Plymouth, Ind., Gail White, Hampton, and Carolyn Magnuson, Mishawaka, Ind., and four sons, Jack Peters, Siam Community, Bill Peters, Elizabethton, George "Buster" Peters, Deer Park, N.Y., and Steve Peters, Lawrenceville, Ga. Twenty-five grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren also survive. Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. PETERS -- Funeral services for Mike G. Peters, 97, 139 Peters Lane, Hampton, who died Sunday, will be conducted at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Memorial Funeral Chapel with Mr. Dwayne Calhoun and Rev. Mickey Beal officiating. Music will be provided by Joey Lynn White and Ralph Moore. Graveside services and interment will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Union Baptist Church Cemetery. Active pallbearers and honorary pallbearers will be grandsons. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Friends may also call at the residence or at the residences of his sons, Bill Peters, 101 Runion Street, Elizabethton, or Jack Peters, 2484 Siam Road, Elizabethton. Family and friends will assemble at the funeral home at 9:30 a.m. Thursday to go to the cemetery. Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Social Security information for MIKE G PETERS: SSN 410-05-1964 Residence: 37658 Hampton, Carter, TN Born 22 Jun 1901 Last Benefit: Died 24 Jan 1999 Issued: TN (Before 1951) Mike G. Peters was born on June 22, 1901 just one month after the May flood that claimed several lives in the Carter County area. He was the son of George Frank Peters (1855-1923) and Joanna Archer (1864-1944). Mike was born in a two room log house located on Dividing Ridge just about two miles from Hampton, Tennessee. There was one large living area and a side kitchen. The fireplace and chimney were made from rocks picked up around the area. The chimney was held together with a mixture of clay mud that was also found near the home site. Life was not easy for the Peters family. It was very cold in the winter. The family gathered around the fireplace to keep warm. They would be toasty up front, but their backside would be quite cold. Most of the time they had enough food to eat; however, just before spring planting, they occasionally had to rely on cornbread and coffee. There was little outside money coming to them, so they had to raise most of their own food. During the summer, much of their time was devoted to tending a large garden. Mike started his education in the local school house at Hampton that only provided an education through the eighth grade. If you wanted to continue on to high school, you had to go to Elizabethton. Mike finished the seventh grade and part of the eighth. He no longer remembers why he left school in 1914 or 1915; however, going to work at Pittsburgh Lumber Company located at Braemer provided the family with a much needed income. During the late Teens and early Twenties, Mike belonged to the Hampton All-Stars, a basketball team made up of several of the local young men. They played against teams from Butler, Elizabethton, Washington College and even the "B" team from Milligan College. Some of the members of the All-Stars were Carman Whitehead, Sam Whitehead, Harmon Campbell, Stanford Hopkins, Ray Johnson, John Whalen and Pearl Smith. The basketball they played was much different than what is played today. The ball had to be tossed up at the center of the court after each basket. If you had a tall center, you had a better chance of winning the game. Mike was too young to enlist in World War I, but his brother Claude served in the Navy. Mike spent much of his time working in the sawmill and doing odd jobs in and around Hampton. Around 1923 he left home and went to work in Freemont, Virginia on the Section Crew doing repair work for the railroad. His father had passed away in 1923 and his brother Ben was to follow in 1924. He next found work in McClure, Virginia at a Band Sawmill working in the Flooring Section, where he worked until 1927. In September 1927, Mike returned to Hampton and started to work at Bemberg, a new textile plant constructed in Elizabethton during 1925-26. Bemberg presented a great opportunity for the people of Carter County to provide a better life for their families. Mike was living at home when he first met his future bride, Texie Calhoun. Texie was working at Bemberg where she became a friend to Mike's sister Nell. She was living with her brother Clarence in Rittertown and would occasionally spend the night with Nell. Mike didn't pay that much attention to Texie during her visits. He actually noticed her when they met socially at the theater in Hampton. He started talking to her during a movie and after the show he asked if he could walk her home. Texie accepted and began what was to lead to 62 years of marriage and seven children. Texie Beatrice Calhoun was born on February 10, 1910 in Indian Springs a small community located in Unicoi County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Harrison Calhoun(1877-1949) and Frances Lutitia Bentley(1874-1951). Around 1918 or 1920 the Calhoun family returned to Tennessee from North Carolina. Mike and Texie were married by Reverend Butler on Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928 at the home of Texie's parents in Rittertown. They started their married life at the home of Mike's mother, Joanna Archer Peters. It was difficult for the two families to live together so they moved in with her parents in Rittertown. It wasn't any easier there, so they finally got their own place. They first rented a house in Hampton from Robert Rash and later moved to the Hatley place. This is where Louise was born in 1929. Texie was staying in Shell Creek with her parents when Jack came along in 1931. Mike and Texie bought their first house in Hazelwood Hollow from Hass Ingram. It was in this house that Bill was born. Ken Lewis now lives on the property where the house stood. Mike and Texie didn't stay there for long before they moved to the Cleveland Mann house. It was on October 6th, 1933 that they bought the house for one dollar and other valuable considerations. Mike and Cleve Mann actually traded houses with each other. This may have been because Cleve's son, Frankie killed himself with a shotgun in the house on July 17, 1932. This piece of property was located on Dividing Ridge about 3/4 of a mile from Mike's parents. The land contained 5 1/2 acres and bordered the property of Will Potter and the Johnson's. Gail was born there in 1935 and Buster in 1937. Mike and Texie then made a decision between a new car and a new house. Texie chose the house and from that time on, Mike did not own a car. The old Cleve Mann house was replaced with a newer structure. Steve was born there in 1941 and Carolyn in 1943. All of their children were born at home with the help of a midwife. A doctor was called later to do a check up and sign the birth certificate. The depression did not cause a lot of problems for Mike and Texie. The plants in Elizabethton operated for much of that time. A large garden provided a major portion of the family's food. They always kept a cow for milk and butter. A pig was fattened for ham and sausage. Chickens provided eggs and, occasionally, a chicken dinner. In most ways they were self sufficient. WWII came and went for Mike, Texie and family. The war had delayed getting electricity and everyone was looking forward to the advantages and comfort that electricity would provide. It wasn't until 1946 that the house was wired and the lights were turned on. The factories in Elizabethton were operating at full capacity. Mike had become a supervisor and was making a better salary. Everything was going well for the family when Louise married Shelton Hazlewood, a veteran of WWII. Mike and Texie's first grandchild came along in November of 1946. Christmas that year was a very happy and prosperous time. Circumstances though, were about to change. It was in January of 1947 and the weather was cold and dry. Mike left for work before daylight. Jack got up and built a fire in the living room stove then went back to bed. Texie didn't exactly remember what woke her up, but either the heat or smoke aroused her. She discovered flames in the living area going from one wall clear across the ceiling. She quickly aroused the boys and grabbed Carolyn in one arm and Gail in the other and led them to safety. The boys, in the meantime, had also escaped the burning house. Not much was saved other that the refrigerator that a neighbor had managed somehow to throw out. Everything else went up in smoke, including picture, keepsakes, and clothing. The family, however, had survived. Steve was staying with Louise and Shelton at their place in Rittertown. With the kind help of neighbors, Mike and Texie decided to rebuild their home just below the burnt out wreckage. While a new home was being built, the family moved into the old Aunt Becky Lunceford house and later moved to Mike's old homeplace. The new family home wasn't completed until 1949. It seemed that things were about to get back to normal, when another cloud descended on the family. Bemberg began to suffer economically and Mike was laid off. When Mike returned to work he lost his supervisory position and his seniority. As a result, Mike was one of the first to be laid off during the frequent layoffs during the late 40's and early 50's. During the summer of 1950 Mike worked on the Arney Dairy Farm just outside of Elizabethton. The family had to leave their home vacant and live in an old house located on the farm. When Bemberg called Mike back to work the family returned to their home; however, Mike didn't get to work long before he was again laid off in 1951. Louise, Shelton and Gail as well as Texie's brother Tate had moved to Mishawaka, Indiana. Because of their success in finding employment and the uncertainty in East Tennessee, Mike and Texie discussed their situation and decided to leave their family home and give Indiana a try. So in late 1951, Mike left the family to try his luck at finding a job in Mishawaka, Indiana. He found work right away at Ball Band, which was well known for it's rubber and Naugahyde products. Naugahyde is a synthetic leather made of vinyl-coated material that is very durable and easy to clean. Texie, Carolyn and Steve moved to Indiana on April 29, 1952 and were joined by Buster that summer. Jack was in the Army and Bill was just about ready to leave for a tour of duty in the Navy. Indiana was quite a transition for the Peters family. The culture shock was tremendous. Gradually their Southern Appalachian accents faded. They adjusted well to the harsh winter weather and made many friends with their, at first, hostile neighbors. Buster, Steve, and Carolyn finished their high school education in Mishawaka. Texie found that she had some extra time and decided that she wanted to go to work. She found a job at Lords Dress Shops in Mishawaka and worked there for several years, providing the family with many necessities. Life in Indiana was very good and Texie fell in love with their home at 401 East Colfax Street. They had moved there from 426 East LaSalle Street in the autumn of 1953. The house was nothing special. It was small, but it had running water and most of all, indoor bathroom facilities. An indoor bathroom was a first for the family. Mike and Texie completely remodeled their home. Palm Sunday of 1965 was a day that will always be remembered. On that day numerous tornadoes swept across Norther Indiana killing over 200 people. The day started out balmy and warm. When angry black clouds started rolling in, radio and television stations began issuing tornado warnings. Since tornado warnings were common in Indiana, most of the people didn't pay a lot of attention to them. Many lost their lives because they did not heed the warnings. Mishawaka was spared the brunt of the storms. Elkhart County was not so lucky, many perished during the savage storms. Mike retired from Ball Band in June of 1966. While he was satisfied with his life in Indiana, he still longed for the hills and mountains of his birth. The old home place was all but abandoned and quickly growing up with trees and other vegetation. After going through all the legal channels, Mike was given title to approximately 100 acres on Dividing Ridge. In August of 1967, Mike and Texie moved back to East Tennessee. Texie did not want to leave her home in Mishawaka since she would have to leave three daughters and several grandchildren behind. Many tears were shed as she left Indiana for the uncertainties of living back in Tennessee. Memories of no running water and an outdoor bathroom were still in Texie's mind. Things had improved greatly in Tennessee; however, Mike and Texie were to experience several setbacks before they were able to establish another home in Tennessee. While Mike, Steve, and Bill tried to remodel the old house still standing on the old homeplace, the family rented a house in Rittertown. Great progress was made until one cold morning in February of 1968 when the old house caught fire and burned completely to the ground. Many hours of labor and about $1,200 of supplies were lost in the flames. Jim Walters Homes was contracted to build the outside shell of a house just over the hill from where the old house had stood. The framing went up quickly. Mike, Bill, and Steve completed the inside and they were ready to move in the house by the fall of 1968. In the spring of 1969, while on a trip to the doctor, Texie was involved in an automobile accident. Steve was driving when a lady slammed into the front fender on the passenger side. Glenda Rose Penix was in the middle and Texie was by the window. The impact caused Glenda and Texie to violently bump their hips together. Glenda was severely bruised, but Texie had shattered her hip. She spent about two months in the hospital with her hip and leg in traction, then she was placed in a body cast for several months. It took over a year for Texie to recover enough so she could walk without the aid of crutches or a cane. She never did completely recover since the accident left one leg shorter than the other and caused her to have some difficulty when walking for any distance. Mike and Texie had their 50th wedding anniversary in 1978. The event was attended by six of the seven children, numerous grandchildren, and many friends and neighbors. Their 60th anniversaryin 1988 was just as memorable. All seven of the children and their wives were able to attend the celebration. Many friends, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren were a part of the festivities. The family had grown by leaps and bounds since that day in 1928 when Mike and Texie said their vows. The next two years were hard on Texie. She had to be hospitalized several times because of respiratory problems. On August 1, 1990, sad news came to them from Indiana. Their son-in-law, Shelton Hazlewood, had died suddenly in his sleep. He had by-pass heart surgery several years before, but seemed to be getting along just fine. Texie was not able to go to the funeral with Mike. She stayed home with her granddaughter, Kitty Peters Moore. While Mike was in Indiana for the funeral, Texie had to be hospitalized again. She was having a very difficult time breathing without the aid of oxygen. Many tests and procedures were performed on Texie. Nothing was to prove successful as she became progressively worse. Her children were called and informed that their Mother would not survive this stay in the hospital. With Mike, all seven children and several grandchildren by her side, Texie passed away on the night of August 28, 1990. Texie had lingered in the hospital for three weeks. It was a most difficult time for Mike and his children. One of her doctor's informed the family on the day of her death that Texie had lung cancer. She was laid to rest on the 1st day of September in the Union Baptist Church Yard just below their home. Mike was devastated by the death of his wife of 62 years. But life must go on and Mike did not give up. He has remained quite active over the past five years. Mike has made many trips during that time. At age 89, he hiked to the top of Clingman's Dome. In 1991 or 1992, he took a cruise to the Bahamas with his son Bill, Bill's wife Mary and their son Jeremy. He later traveled to Texas and New Mexico. While in New Mexico, he was able to complete a tour of Carlsbad Caverns. In 1994, Mike, Jack and Louise made a long trip together in a small RV that Jack had purchased after retiring. They went to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone Park as well as Anchorage, Alaska. When their cross country trip was finished, they had logged more than 12,000 miles over a three or four month period. Mike continued to be quite independent. He liked to work in his garden and cut his own firewood. Even at his age, he still had plans and goals. Mike loved to travel. He had dreams of one day traveling to Ireland and Oregon. He also had plans to go on another cruise to the Caribbean. He celebrated his 90th birthday in 1991 and had a surprise birthday party for his 94th. On June 22, 1996, Mike celebrated his 95th birthday. All seven children were able to be there along with numerous grand and great grandchildren. Many nieces nephews and neighbors came to wish Mike a very Happy Birthday at the Fellowship Hall of the Hampton Christian Church. Shortly after Mike�s 95th birthday, he was diagnosed with leukemia. The disease was in remission for awhile, but it had weakened his immune system. He began to develop various infections. He had a tumor on his hand which was successfully removed. In late 1998 a tumor appeared on his chin. The tumor was removed, but by that time, he was so weakened by the effects of leukemia and other infections that it was just a matter of time before he was called home to his bride of 62 years. Mike went into the hospital in January 1999. Steve and Sherrie traveled to Tennessee to be with Mike. Steve, along with Gail, Bill and Jack, spent several days at the hospital with their father. Mike continued to fail and repeatedly asked to go home. All the children got together and talked to the doctors and they decided to grant Mike�s wishes. We brought Mike home to Hampton, just a short distance from where he came into this world. I (Steve) had to leave my father and go back to Georgia. As I gently talked to him on the day I left, I imagined going on trips in my car with him, he loved to go places. It was so difficult to leave him, I had a feeling that this would be the last time I would see him alive. I kissed his forhead for the last time and with tears in my eyes, left and went back to Georgia. Louise joined Gail at Mike�s home and Carolyn joined a couple of days later. On the night of January 24, 1999 at around 11:00 PM with Gail, Louise and Carolyn at his bedside, Mike went to his real home. I can imagine the reception he received as he left his earthly body and crossed over to the other side. I know that Mom was there and many old friends and family members were also waiting to greet him; and what a reunion it must have been. Mike, Texie, Brenda, Sheila, Jamie, Shelton, Anne and Gene have all passed on, as well as Bill's second wife Peggy. Their memories will always be with us. 1930 Carter County, TN. census 11th district household #226: Peters, Mike 28 head TN/TN/TN; Texie 20 wife NC/NC/NC; Delma L. 1 1/12 dau TN/TN/NC; Joanne 65 mother TN/TN/TN; Nellie 22 sister TN/TN/TN.
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