Raymond Peters

Godfrey Maurice Raymond Peters was born to Maurice St Orbin Peters and Josephine Veronica Peters in Sion Hill, St Vincent on April 25th, 1951. At the tender age of 11, he moved to Bagatelle, Trinidad, and Tobago with his father and sisters Gloria and Joan where he attended Diego Martin Government School. Raymond and his sister Joan would later get adopted by the family of a childhood friend, the Goodridge family. It was here in Bagatelle where he started to be called by his childhood nick name “Bockey” playing football with friends and family in the area.

During this time in his early years, Raymond can best be described as fun, adventurous, and full of life. As a teenager, he expressed his love of music by forming a band called the Rockers with his childhood friends and family. He gave concerts and played in numerous places in Trinidad including the Roxy Cinema. In the late 70’s and early 80’s he also played the bass pan for the Merry Tones Steel Orchestra. He also had a love for sports, he played football (soccer) with the St Lucian Road Brazil 70’ and played cricket for the Gentlemen’s Sports Club.

Raymond started working at a very young age. He held jobs as a bike messenger, drove taxi’s, and held his most significant job working in Trinidad for Larry Bruce Electrical Contracting. While working with Laurie Bruce Electrical, one of the largest firms in Trinidad at the time, he had the privilege of working on many major projects including the Holiday Inn Hotel as well as Woolworth's. He enjoyed being a very well-known taxi driver in Diego Martin. He always spoke of wanting to make sure that the people in his car had a great experience and a good time. He always kept his stereo system sounding at its best. He took pride when his passengers noticed he kept his car "clean and smelling fresh".

In the 1980s, Raymond took his electrical talents to New York where he started working for various companies doing electrical work and fire suppression including Elder Crews Apartments in Harlem, Petroleum Construction, Getty Gas, and CLB Cash Checking. He started working at the Local Union No. 3 IBEW Verde Electrical Corp in 1999 where he worked for 20 years. In addition to working for the Union, he also continued to work on gas stations doing fire suppression and other electrical jobs under his own company RPTech Electrical. He would remain an electrician until he retired in 2019.

When Raymond met Thora Thomas, their time together led to twins Kevin and Keisha. He would eventually meet Germain Clarke and had their first child Korey was born. Raymond and Germain married on February 20, 1988, and their union would bear two more children, Kwesi and Krystal.

As a father, Raymond prioritized provision and demonstrated a work hard/play hard life ethic. He loved visiting Trinidad and Tobago, making annual trips to Trinidad Carnival where he enjoyed Panorama, watching the Mass parade in the streets, and showing up for boat rides and fetes. In his later days, he truly enjoyed being a grandfather. Raymond would seem happiest sitting in front of a soccer game with a grandchild under one arm and a cold beverage in the other hand.

Husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend- Raymond lost his battle with heart and kidney failure and passed away at the Northshore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY on Friday December 2, 2022, at 11:30 PM.

Raymond was predeceased by his parents Maurice St Orbin Peters and Josephine Veronica Peters. He is survived by his wife Germain Peters, his five children Kevin, Keisha, Korey, Kwesi and Krystal Peters, his nine grandchildren Kamia, Brielle, Prince, Christopher, Matthew, Daniel, Josiah, Isaiah, and Aniyah. His siblings Gloria Edwin, Joan Peters, Joy Timothy, Gail Peters Toney, Cheryl Williams, and Sharon Robertson, a whole host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends that he thought of as brothers. He will be deeply missed.