Walter J. "Wally" Peterson

Walter “Wally” J. Peterson, of East Falmouth and formerly of Walpole, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 27, 2019 at Cape Cod Hospital surrounded by his loving family at the age of 82. Born on June 19, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Robert Carl Peterson and Marian (Scott) Peterson.  After his father died in 1944, Wally’s mother had to go back to work and enrolled him in Kurn Hattin, a residential school in Westminster, Vermont, since she was unable to provide the level of care that 2 young boys needed. Wally was very vocal about how his six years spent at Kurn Hattin prepared him well for a successful future; after graduating from Needham High School with the Class of 1955 as Valedictorian, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in English at Dartmouth College in 1959, and furthered his education by attaining a Master’s Degree in Education and Teaching from Harvard University in 1960.

While in school, Wally met his soon to be wife, Nancy Brayton, and the two were married on August 22, 1959 in Sudbury, MA. The young couple made their home in Cambridge for a brief time before settling in Walpole in 1960, where they welcomed their children, David and Linda. Upon his graduation from Harvard, Wally dedicated his life to teaching. He accepted a position as an English teacher at Norwood High School, educating Norwood’s youth for forty-seven years until his retirement in 2007. He also served as the Secretary of the Norwood Teacher’s Union from 1982 to 2007.

When he wasn’t hard at work, Wally cherished time spent with his family. He always looked forward to spending his summers at the family cottage, and frequently cooked dinners for his family and friends. He greatly enjoyed watching Judge Judy and yelling at Jeopardy contestants when they answered incorrectly. A true lover of animals, Wally enjoyed taking the family dog Monty on walks, accepting the help his cat Sammy provided while he crafted latch hook rugs, and relaxing with a new book with his cat Abby close by.

Beloved husband of the late Nancy Brayton Peterson.
Devoted father of David Peterson and his wife Donna of Milford, MA, and Linda Hawley and her husband James of East Falmouth, MA.
Cherished grandfather of Daniel and Jaclyn of Randolph, MA, and Elizabeth of Hopkinton, MA.
Brother the late Ann P. Carry and the late Robert Scott Peterson.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Wally’s Life Celebration on Friday, October 4, 2019 from 3:00 to 7:00PM in the James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, 48 Common Street, Walpole. Interment will take place in Oak Grove Cemetery in Falmouth on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 12:00 Noon. In lieu of flowers, donations in Wally’s memory may be made to the Marian Scott Peterson Memorial Scholarship, c/o The Norwood Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 112, Norwood, MA 02062.