Husband, Father, Grandpa, Uncle, Friend – Carl Northrup Peterson, 82, died peacefully at D'Youville Senior Care in Lowell, MA, on Sunday, October 2, 2016.

Carl was born on May 6, 1934 in Syracuse, NY, to Carl Manfred and Elsie Northrup Peterson. The family, which included Carl's younger brother David, eventually relocated to Eatontown, NJ. Carl's father was employed by the American Red Cross, and during Carl's last two years of school, the family was assigned to a post in Nuremberg, Germany, where he graduated from high school. His love of sports grew, and he continued as a three-sport athlete excelling in football, basketball, and baseball.

Carl attended Princeton University in New Jersey and enjoyed his formative time and classical education there. His interest in broadcasting was fostered as a sports announcer for the university's radio station, WPRB; he was well known for his deep mellifluous voice. After graduating from Princeton with an English degree in 1956, Carl joined the Army for two years serving at the Pentagon.

Following that, Carl began a 20-year career at NBC in New York City. He worked in the sports and news departments and travelled the world extensively. He met Lisbeth (Liz) Howell while living in NYC, and they were married in 1961. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Little Silver, NJ, to raise their growing family. He began working at ESPN in the late 1970s during the early days of sports cable programming.

In 1984, Carl and his family moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where he and Liz lived until they retired; then, they joined their two daughters in the Boston area in 2006. And with a return to his northeast roots, Carl took advantage of everything New England had to offer. He and Liz found a warm welcome in Chelmsford, MA, where they have been involved in the local community, especially the many activities available through the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church.

Boundless curiosity about the world and its history inspired Carl’s lifelong pursuit of eclectic interests. He enjoyed all genres of music, was fascinated by various historical figures, and loved the English language and written word. He was a voracious reader. His enduring passions included photography, sports (especially baseball, and the Tampa Bay Rays in particular), sailing, ice boating, aviation (an early accomplishment was obtaining his pilot's license), lighthouses, the Revolutionary War including re-enactments – and enthusiastically photographing them all! Carl luxuriated in photographic gunkholing adventures to seek out the perfect subjects and lighting. In his later years, Carl's great joy was watching and photographing his two grandsons’ sporting events and other childhood activities. He saw the world through the artistry of his camera lens.

Always the charming raconteur, Carl’s sui generis brand of irreverent and esoteric humor has been fully manifested in his four children. He was also a doting grandfather who thoroughly embraced the role. He will be missed.

Carl is survived by his wife Liz, sons Michael and Adam, daughters Lisa Li and Sarah Peterson-Taggard, her husband Alex, and grandsons Griffin Li and Parker Taggard.

A Celebration of Life for Carl will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016
3:00pm Service with reception immediately following
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
2 Westford Street, Chelmsford, MA

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund www.fallenheroesfund.org