Last updated on August 26, 2025
The following obituary is being republished with permission and request from Robert Peterson’s family:
Born January 16, 1952, in Aurora, Illinois, the son of the Honorable Judge John S. and Helen (nee Loomis) Petersen, passed away at the age of 73 at home in Jamaica Plain on July 24, 2025. As the youngest of five siblings, he was called Robin as a young man. While he may have been the baby of the family he fit right in with his brothers and sisters, and grew up riding bareback astride one of the numerous equine inhabitants in a menagerie of animals, including many family dogs, on the family’s farm in the Sugar Grove neighborhood of Aurora. After graduating from West Aurora Senior High School ‘70, Robin (Bob) flew the nest, first attending college at the University of Wyoming for a year before taking a short break to earn money for school in Geneva, Illinois, after which he transferred to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1977 where he earned the rank of Corporal, and was awarded the Medal of Good Conduct, the Meritorious Mast, and received a Letter of Appreciation for his service.
It was by his sister’s hand that this veteran came to Boston. Bob moved in with Melissa and her children, his niece Erinn and nephew Ivan at their home on Cranston Street in Jamaica Plain. He excelled in his role as uncle, eventually becoming known throughout the neighborhood as ‘Uncle Bob’. When his sister relocated to Maine, Bob took over as sole steward of the home in Jamaica Plain, and in short order became a beloved fixture in both the Cranston Street and Hyde Square neighborhoods. A regular patron of many neighborhood mainstays, if you needed to find him you might look no further than the coffee counter at El Oriental de Cuba, the weight bench at Mike’s Gym, reading The New York Times at the Connolly Library, or photographing the seasonal foliage in the Forest Hills Cemetery.
Beyond Bob’s gentle nature and humble generosity, he possessed a superior intellect. An avid reader and gifted conversationalist, he could expound on nearly any subject with exceptional depth and clarity. He lived in a city with some of the best schools in the country, and he took full advantage. Studying a range of subjects, he completed multiple certificate programs at Harvard, BU, and UMass. A true renaissance man, Bob was also a deft carpenter and builder and generously shared his many skills across the community. Over the decades, he could be found on a ladder helping repair a roof or clear gutters, shoveling out a neighbor’s driveway after a Nor’easter, walking a friend’s dog or helping replace a stranger’s car battery. Bob was that rare individual who took being neighborly to a new high, and through his numerous acts of kindness warmed and mended the hearts and homes of many in his community. It would be accurate to say that Bob found his stride and his tribe in Jamaica Plain; it was there with the help of his chosen family of loving friends that he found his footing and lasting peace in recent years.
Bob was a soft-spoken, loyal friend who was happiest reading a book, enjoying a strong cup of coffee, encircled in a flurry of wagging tails, engaged in a building project or enlightened discussion with a good friend. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him as a brother, uncle, dear friend, reliable neighbor or cherished fixture in Jamaica Plain. He was predeceased by his mother and father, eldest brother the Honorable John L. Petersen, sister Melissa P. Graham, and more recently his long-time friend Marvin Hoskins. He is survived by his brother Charles (Joan) Petersen of Aurora, IL, sister Sarah Whittington of LA, many nieces/nephews and their children, and a whole host of friends and neighbors from coast to coast.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2-6pm, at The Pryde Community Center, located at 59 Harvard Ave., Hyde Park, MA 02136.
