March 01st, 2017

​Alan V. Peters
Alan V. Peters passed away suddenly on February 16, 2017, at the age of 67, in his hometown of Deer Lodge. Alan is survived by his wife, Shirley (Green); children, Aaron Peters and Alana (Kyle) McLaughlin (Kyle); grandchildren, Natalie Peters, and Brycen and Meya McLaughlin, brother, David Peters, and half-brother, Billy.
Alan was born to William Orla and Naomi Peters on March 31, 1949, in Long Beach, Calif. He and Shirley fell in love with Montana in 1977, while searching for opportunities in law enforcement, and they never looked back. His long-term career in the criminal justice system began at the old Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, which bridged into the new prison upon completion in 1979. He entered law enforcement at the Dillon Police Department where he began raising his family; he returned to Deer Lodge for another stent at the prison before joining the Powell County Sheriff’s Department. Upon retirement, he enjoyed helping customers at the local ACE Hardware, NAPA Auto, and Safeway.
Alan was an avid sports enthusiast starting out with baseball, basketball, and football from a young age with his brother by his side. He also picked up skiing and water skiing, in addition to coaching, which began with tee ball and continued through to Legion baseball. He eagerly provided practice drills for his children for their other sports, and made sure he was at all their games. Alan and his family spent summers boating at Flathead Lake and camping all around Western Montana, and more recently meeting his children and grandchildren for annual campouts from Oregon and Washington to Moab.
An informal gathering will held in early summer in Alan’s honor. As an avid supporter of the military, memorial contributions may be made to the USO, Red Cross, or a charity of your choosing.