Grafton Peterson on the golf course. Photo Courtesy of Celeste Peterson
Like most people, Grafton Peterson experienced both great joy and great sadness in his life. He had a long and happy marriage and two children he adored. But he outlived both his daughters and, on March 18, succumbed to a heart attack at age 57.
His first daughter, Carla, died of cancer at age 8. Still reeling from the tragedy, he became a father again, two days later, when daughter Erin was born and restored light to his heart. She was close to her parents and, at Westfield High, she was a well-liked basketball star.
But her life ended, too, in April 2007, when she was among the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. An honor student majoring in International Studies, she was a freshman, just 18 years old.
“Since Erin died, he’d been battling different things,” said his wife Celeste, of Centreville’s Braddock Ridge community. “You never forget it and you never recover. Everything in your life is marked before Erin died and after Erin died.”
Somehow, though, they carried on. “I really admired Grafton’s strength and perseverance,” she said. “Erin’s death was a gut-punch for me, but he lost two children.”
They established the Erin Peterson Fund to continue their daughter’s dedication to education and to helping those less fortunate. They also began an annual Gospel Celebration in her memory and to raise money for the scholarships and grants given out by the fund.
This year’s event will be on Saturday, April 16 — the exact day Erin died, nine years ago. Filled with joyful entertainment, it’ll be held at 6 p.m. at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 6600 Old Centreville Road in Centreville.
Grafton was a construction supervisor who was recently laid off. Yet, that was actually good news for the couple. “We were glad that he could just stay home and focus on his health,” said Celeste Peterson. “He was happy and optimistic and we were making a whole bunch of plans for what we were going to do.” Married 33 years, she said they mainly planned to just be together.
As a teenager, Grafton Peterson lived in Middleburg, and he and Celeste met as students at Loudoun Valley High in Purcellville. They were just friends then, but stayed in touch after graduation; and about 10 years later, they started dating. Although he was an introvert and she’s an extrovert, the two clicked.
“I thought he’d make a good husband,” she said. “I always felt safe and protected with him and knew I’d never want for anything. He was confident, strong and unflappable. And he was my best friend; I left home with him and never looked back.”
The pair enjoyed spending time at their vacation house in Northern Neck, and Grafton Peterson liked to fish and play golf. They belonged to Mount Olive Baptist Church, and the support of the church, family and friends has helped them both cope with their losses.
“He always thought he’d go before me, so we talked about life and death,” said Celeste Peterson. “He was just a wonderful husband and I cry because I miss him. But I have strong roots and I believe in the good Lord, and I know this is just the way life is. I had 18 years of the most wonderful child, and 33 years with a man who made me feel secure and loved and made me laugh. So you put it all together, and I’m just happy and blessed.”
On March 25, Grafton Peterson was buried next to both his daughters in Rock Hill Cemetery in Round Hill, Va. Donations in his name may be made to the Erin Peterson Fund at www.ErinPetersonFund.org.
“I’m so happy that he and Erin are together,” said Celeste Peterson. “I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl, and that’s what gets me through. I just keep looking up and trusting in the Lord.”