Deryk Michael Peters

It was my junior year in high school and I was a new student at Dirigo.  Although my Dad was a teacher there, I needed friends.  I am a very social person, but everyone needs someone to break the ice.  Deryk was that person for me.  I remember...it was an art class that I wasn't so sure that I wanted to be in, but of course I had to be.  I really can't remember who was teaching the class, but whoever it was let us listen to music as we worked on our various projects.  Deryk and I met over the song "Would" by Alice In Chains on the Singles soundtrack.  We must have listened to that album 100 times during that class.  He was the first Dirigo student to reach out to me and I will never forget that.  Over the next couple of years we would hang out from time to time.  It didn't hurt that he lived kind of close to my Dad.  Canton people kind of stick together.  He even made my first trip to my native Bethel with me.  In typical Deryk fashion he had no trouble meeting my friends back there.  They all liked him very much even though they were all pretty upset about me leaving.  I will never forget him for being a good friend for a new guy who needed one. 

I will also never forget the Western Maine Regional Final in track.  The year was 1993 and Dirigo track was still in a stage of infancy.  We had performed pretty well through the year, but still nothing was really expected of us.  Shawn Noyes was one of the top sprinters in our conference all year and was expected to be one of our top performers in the meet.  Unfortunately Shawn was DQed in the 100m heats for false starting.  Deryk, who wasn't expected to place ran the race of his life.  11.3 something if I remember right, and won the whole thing.  I am quite sure that we wouldn't have come out of there as Western Maine Champs if he wasn't able to do that.  I am not going to lie Deryk.  I have told that story so many times.  I hope that it is told by all of us that were lucky enough to be part of that team. 

I am sorry that I disappeared off the face of the Earth after graduation.  I wish that I could have known you for a little longer.  I hope that everything is ok where you are.  I hope that everything that you ever wanted in life is available for you now. 

Thank you to you the Peters family for creating this site.  I never got to say anything to you when Deryk died and I am sorry for that.  I hope that you are well and taking care of yourselves.  You are stronger than any family should have to be. 

I remember going for rides on bumpy roads, trying to get my labor started.  We had pepperoni pizza for supper that night.  I started having contractions but, would not go to the hospital until the "Ed Sullivan Show" was over.  They were showing the best of "Ed Sullivan" and Janis Joplin and The Beatles were going to be on and I wanted to see that.  Once the show was over, my mom convinced me to go to the hospital and they decided to admit me.  My water hadn't even broken.  I had no idea about what was about to happen to my body.  Back then there were no "birthing" classes.  I was so afraid of the unknown.  I slept a good portion of the night but, early morning brought on the intense contractions, water breaking and pain!  I can remember my mother wanting to rip the face off of the doctor because, I was suffering so.  In her day, they just knocked you out.  I was brought into the delivery room, alone.  I was scared and needed my mom but, they wouldn't let her in.  At 11:20 am Deryk was born.  I had really wanted a girl, which I think is normal for a 17 year old girl.  I was surprisingly not disappointed, when they announced I had had a son.  8 lbs. of pure perfection.  10 fingers, 10 toes, wide eyes that seemed to already know so much.  It was love.

Disappoint us? Never! I know I've said it before but, I'll say it again. Thank you, Kathy. Thank you for having Deryk. Thank you for letting us all have a part in his life. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. He was and will always be, in my heart, "My Deryk". You gave us all such a great gift when you had him at such a young age. You're the best mother I know. And, it shows in your daughters and grandchildren. You are...the best.

Deryk, is my son.  I remember carrying him in my womb.  For seven long months, I never told anyone, I was pregnant.  You see, I was only seventeen and I was about to disappoint a whole lot of people with his presence.  (or so I thought)  The time came when I had to tell my mother and we sat in her bedroom, and told her everything.  Having been in a similar situation, my mother wasn't mad at me at all.  After we were finished crying, she looked at me and said, "how far along, did you say you were?"  at this point the doctor said I was six months and my mom wanted to know "where it was" .  I said " oh it's in there alright".  By this time, he had been kicking up a storm and I wasn't sure, how nobody had at least noticed my stomach moving.  The next day, we went shopping and bought maternity clothes.  There was no denying now, I was going to have a baby!  And boy was I scared!

Megan and I were at Mom and Dad's house last night for dinner. It began to snow and Megan asked if I remembered the time we went sledding with Deryk and his high school girlfriend, Trisha. I did, and actually I was just thinking about it the other day. Here's the story for you.

 

Deryk and Trisha decided to take Megan and I sledding on a hill nearby our house in Canton. We'd been sliding for a while, trying to avoid a large rock that formed a jump on the hill between two trees. Eventually one of us hit it. Well, the one who hit it just so happened to be Megan. She was probably about 8 at the time. Megan, in her hot pink snow suit, (this makes it even funnier now, if you know Megan, she does not wear hot pink) FLEW off her sled, about 10 feet in the air, while the sled stayed on the snow, still going down the hill. Somehow, Megan managed to land directly back on the sled without hitting either of the trees and continued down the hill until she reached the bottom.

 

Of course we all were very conscerned about Meg, thinking she must be in pain. When she turned around and smiled we all laughed until our tummies hurt. Deryk fell on the ground in fits of laughter. I would give anything to hear his laughter again... He was an amazing person... I miss him like crazy.