Ronald Eaton Peterson, Sr. died peacefully on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 91 years old.
Ron was born on June 1, 1934 in Saint Petersburg, Florida.  He served in the United States Navy and was a graduate of Western Carolina University.  He came to the Virginia Peninsula in 1964, making his home in Hampton and starting a family while working as a nuclear engineering analyst at Newport News Shipbuilding until his retirement in 1996.  He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Wanda, who passed away in 2020.

Ron was known as a gentle giant to his friends and all who met him.  At six-foot-four, he was soft-spoken, with a quiet nature and dry sense of humor.  He was a devoted husband and a dedicated father of three; a generous provider who always placed his family first.

Ron was nationally known as one of the country's best men's fast-pitch softball pitchers in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, an era in which men's fast-pitch softball was quite popular and drew large crowds.  He won over 400 games in a 16-year career, leading the Fox Hill and Peninsula All Stars teams to three national tournaments, in 1967, 1969 and 1973.  He earned All-American honors in 1969, a year that culminated in him pitching victories in the National Tournament against defending national champion Clearwater Florida Bombers, national runner-up Oxnard, California, and pitching a perfect game against Mesa, Arizona, striking out 14 batters.  He was named the Peninsula Sports Club's "Man of the Year" for his accomplishments that season.  Ron was also a charter member of the Athletic Hall of Fame of the Lower Virginia Peninsula in 1971.

He is survived by two sons and a daughter, along with six grandchildren.  His son Marc of Newport News, Virginia, his wife Tina and children Reid and Harper, his son Ron, Jr. of Smithfield, Virginia, his wife Kathy and children Brooks and Trudy, and daughter Tammy of Clayton, North Carolina, her husband Kevin and children Paul and Christy.

The family would like to thank The Hidenwood retirement community, as well as the staff at Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital in Smithfield for their compassionate care in the final months of Ron's life.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 25, at 5:30 pm followed by a time of visitation until 8:00 PM at W.J. Smith and Son Funeral Home, located at 210 Harpersville Road, in Newport News, Virginia.