Mr. William James "Will" Peterson, Jr., age 96, of Soperton died Wednesday, August 10, 2016.

Funeral services will be held in Soperton United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 13, with Reverend Tim Paulk and Reverend John Drake officiating. Burial will be in Peterson Memorial Cemetery, Ailey, with Sammons Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Peterson was born in Jefferson County and had lived in Soperton for the last sixty-nine years. He was preceded in death by his parents, William James Peterson, Sr., and May Murphy Peterson, his wife, Carolyn Alley Peterson, and his brother, John R. Peterson. He was a 1936 graduate of Brewton Parker High School and a 1940 graduate of Emory University, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He served in the US Army from November 1942 until March 1946 and was discharged as Captain. He was a member of the American Legion Post #59.

He served as Institutional Representative of the Boy Scouts and received the National Silver Beaver Award in 1956. He was very active in the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church having served on the board of directors of Magnolia Manor in Americus, and also on the Board of Pension Fund. He was a delegate to the Jurisdictional Conference from 1960 through 1976 and served as chairman of the Dublin District of the United Methodist Church Georgia Conference Finance Committee. He was a member of the Soperton United Methodist Church where he had served as Sunday School Teacher and held various other church positions.

He served as Mayor of Soperton from 1961-1962 and was a member and past chairman of the Soperton Housing Authority. He was a member and past chairman of the Treutlen County Hospital Authority, Treutlen High Booster Club and Soperton Lions Club. In 1978 he was voted Treutlen County Citizen of the Year. He served on the Treutlen County Board of Education from 1964-1976. He was the retired President of Ailey Manufacturing Company and Soperton Manufacturing Company, and retired Vice President of Woolrich Co. He was a director of the Montgomery County Bank and was chairman of the Executive Committee. He also served as the Treutlen County Representative of the Region Eight Mental Health Board. He was a member of the Treutlen County Library Board and was associated with Heart of Georgia RESA. He was a trustee of Swainsboro Technical College and Southeastern Technical College Foundation, where the William J. Peterson Scholarship was established in his honor.

Survivors include his children, Melinda Deibert of Dublin and Bill (Nancy) Peterson of Soperton; grandchildren, Alison (Daniel) Jean of Atlanta, Michael (Krista) Deibert of Perry, and Will (Brook) Peterson, IV of Americus; great-grandchildren, William J. "Jase" Peterson, V, Riley Dennis Jean, and Ty Peterson; sister, Jeanne P. Robinson of Columbus; and brother, Thomas A. (Mary Lou) Peterson of Ailey.

Pallbearers will be Will Peterson, IV, Michael Deibert, Pete Robinson, Keith Pollette, John Ellington, and Wesley Crowe.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and may be reached at the family residence, 506 Louisiana Avenue, Soperton.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of the following: Peterson Memorial Cemetery, P.O. Box 7, Ailey, GA 30410; Will Peterson Scholarship Fund, 3001 East First St., Vidalia, GA 30474; Treutlen County Library, P.O. Box 49, Soperton, GA 30457: or Soperton United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 702, Soperton, GA 30457.