->FAIRFIELD -- James A. Peters, 70, passed away Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008, from advanced pancreatic cancer brought on from many years of severe diabetes. He passed away quietly at the VA Hospital in Roxbury, Mass.Born May 8, 1938, in Waterville, Jim was the son of Vincent C. and Wilma (LaVoie) Peters of Fairfield. Vincent Peters was the founder of Peters' Gas & Oil service in 1955.Upon graduating from Colburn Classical Institute, James Peters went into the Army and served with the 5th S&T Transportation BN at Fort Carson, Colo., from 1961 to 1963 during the Panama Canal conflict. He was also present and witnessed the construction of the Norad Military Base at that time.On returning from service to his country, Jim became an important part of his father's company and eventually took over the daily operations. Upon the sale of Peters' Gas & Oil Co., James, following in his father's footsteps, became the owner and operator of Peters Energy Fuels, Inc. and later on Central Services.Jim Peters also enjoyed many other avenues of creativity. He loved flying more than anything else and had held a pilot's license from the time he was 14 years old. He was also a member of the Poverty Flats Flying Club of Clinton for many years. His love of building, restoring, and flying air craft, and most recently restoring antique cars, was only rivaled by his love of music. An accomplished guitar player, in his younger years he was always asked to play for events with Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kiwanis or Jaycees. Later on in life, he played guitar, bass guitar, and sang with his church choir for several years. He was a lifelong member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church, and always looked forward to his choir practice time and church services.A master burner man, plumber and electrician, along with many various other licenses, he was a member of the Maine Oil Dealers Association and Central Maine Apartment Owners Association for three decades. A well-known, loved, and respected businessman, Jim will be deeply missed in his community. He was always there to lend a hand whenever someone needed it. You could find him most any day of the week at his favorite coffee shop, The Kennebec Caf&#233;, sharing jokes and stories with everyone, or his afternoon gatherings at the Fairfield House of Pizza, with (what they call themselves) the "old and ugly club." His friends and especially his family will miss him greatly.Jim is survived by is two married daughters, Lisa Fernands and Tammy Richards; his sister, Janine Prewitt; his aunt, Marguerite Emery; four nieces, one great-niece, one great-great-niece, and a vast number of cousins.He was predeceased by his sister, Janice Landry, in 1996.A Mass of Christian burial will take place at 9 a.m. this Friday, Jan. 9, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, High Street, Fairfield. The family will hold a committal service in the spring at Maplewood Cemetery in Fairfield where, per his wishes, Jim will be laid to rest behind his father's headstone.The family would like to thank everyone for their support and in lieu of cards, flowers, etc., please make donations in the name of James A. Peters to one of the following foundations: ;(function() { var adKeyValue = 't='; adKeyValue+= escape('clio=ADA'); adKeyValue += escape('&cobrand=MaineToday-CentralMaine'); adKeyValue += escape('&linktext=American Diabetes Association'); adKeyValue += escape('&linkurl=https://donations.diabetes.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4362&4362.donation=form1&s_src=legacy&s_subsrc=obit&set.TributeFirstName=James&set.TributeLastName=Peters'); adKeyValue += escape('&fn=James'); adKeyValue += escape('&ln=Peters'); var adClkUrl = 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?iu=/423686928/prod/obit-aff/obit-standard/clio-inline-1&' + adKeyValue + '&sz=1x1&c=1084455927'; var adImpUrl = 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?iu=/423686928/prod/obit-aff/obit-standard/clio-inline-1&' + adKeyValue + '&sz=1x1&c=1084455927'; document.write("<a href='" + adClkUrl + "' target=_blank>American Diabetes Association<" + 'img' + " src='" + adImpUrl + "' style='width=1px; height=1px; display:inline;' /></a>"); }()); of Maine, 10 Bangor St., Suite F, Augusta, ME 04330; to make a memorial donation on line go to www.diabetes.org; or The Hirschberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 2990 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 300 C, Los Angeles, CA 90064; www.pancreatic.org.Condolences may be expressed at www.lawrybroth ers.com.Arrangements are with Lawry Brothers Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 107 Main St., Fairfield; (800) 660-2111.