Clifford Allan Peterson passed away quietly at Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital in Stuart, Fl. on Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 7:05 pm with his niece by his side. He was 84. His death followed a prolonged convalescence for a fractured left femur.

He was born on November 18, 1937 in Manchester, Ct. to Dexter L. Peterson and Mary (Riester) Peterson, both predeceased. He graduated from Manchester High School in 1955 with a general diploma and from Howell Cheney Technical High School, also in 1955, with a diploma in electricity. Early on Clifford worked for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as an electrician. Later he was employed by the University of Connecticut Health Center. He remained there for almost 19 years when an injury forced him to retire. Clifford was a bachelor for many years until one day when he met a student nurse named Vesta Saltzman. It was true love and the two were married on August 17, 1969 at the Unitarian Meeting House in Hartford. They resided in Clifford's home town of Manchester for several years. They had pet Siberian Huskies that they were very fond of and in the winter enjoyed taking them where they could be hitched to sleds and could enjoy a good run. In the summer they liked parking their popup camper seasonally at a campground called Moose Meadow where the dogs could delight in playing at the camp site or romping in a nearby stream. Clifford maintained a lifelong fondness for huskies even years later when he had no pets. In September of 1987 the couple sold their home in Connecticut and moved to Port St. Lucie Florida where they had a new home built for them for which Clifford drew the plans. In Port St. Lucie they were blessed with many good friends and neighbors, particularly Danny and Maria Sacchelli. He and Danny grew to be very close. While living in Florida he enjoyed the grapefruit, orange and loquat trees in his yard and being able to go out and pick his own fruit to eat. He enjoyed going to computer shows with friends and working on computers. Clifford also liked to tinker and see how things worked. It gave him great satisfaction to take something that was broken and to be able to make it work again. Clifford enjoyed his home in Florida and his life with Vesta. Sadly, after 40 years of marriage, on Christmas Day in 2009 Vesta passed away but she was never far from his heart. He continued to live in the home he and Vesta had built until his death.

Clifford's sister, Shirley P. Cowles, passed exactly one month after him on Sept. 29, 2021 in Manchester, Ct.
Clifford is survived by a niece and her spouse, Debra (Cowles) and Lyndon C. VanWagner of Rochester, N.Y.; a nephew and his spouse, Douglas Michael and Ruth (Russell) Cowles of Manchester, Ct.; five great nieces and nephews, Emily Rose (VanWagner) Christman of Rochester, N.Y., Douglas Michael Cowles II of Rocky Hill, Ct., Jennifer Lynn (Cowles) Waldburger of Bloomfield, Ct., and Gregory Andrew Cowles of Danielson Ct.; and a great, great nephew and niece, Julian Jeffrey Christman, and Veronica Rose Christman both of Rochester, NY.

Our thanks to the staff at Martin South Hospital for their kind and thoughtful care.
Private Internment at a later date in the family plot at East Cemetery, Manchester, Ct.
Clifford donated to several charities and would be pleased to be remembered by a donation to:

Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind at: 1-800-548-4337
Or online at: https://www.guidedog.org/GD/GD/GDF_DonateNow.aspx

Or to the American Diabetes Association at: