Benjamin Maxwell Peters

Funeral services celebrating the life of Benjamin Maxwell Peters, 86, of Monroe, LA will be held at 2:30 P.M. Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at First Methodist Monroe with Dr. Brian Mercer officiating. Visitation will begin at 1:00 P.M. until service time. Interment will follow at the Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe, LA under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home Monroe.

Ben passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 12, 2025 surrounded by family. He was born on August 14, 1938, in Emory, Georgia to John Roumain Peters and Alma Summer Potts Peters.

Ben was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was also a founding member of the Salt Lake Farm Hunting Club where he made lifelong memories with friends and family. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He treasured time with family and friends while watching sunsets over Caney Lake or full moons on the Boeuf River.

Ben was a distinguished professional who had a successful career in law and business. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Tech and his Law degree from Tulane University School of Law. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy for three years before relocating to Monroe in 1967, where he began the practice of law with Hudson, Potts & Bernstein. He later became a sole practitioner and served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana from 1972 to 1992, primarily representing Northeast Louisiana University. Ben was also co-owner of Peters, Merritt, Oliver Company, Inc., a general contracting and real estate development firm, where he played an integral role in the development of the Northeast Louisiana Surgical Center in Monroe, Shreveport, and Alexandria. He served on the boards of Ouachita National Bank, Premier Bank, and Bank One Louisiana, where he served on the Audit, Compensation, and Executive Committees, including Chairman of the Audit Committee. He also served as the Chairman of the Board for OEDC Land Corps.

Ben’s service extended beyond his professional career where he committed himself to many organizations in the community, including President of the Ouachita Valley Council of Boy Scouts of America; Board of Trustees member for the Public Affairs Research Council, Monroe Chamber of Commerce (Treasurer and Board Member); Northeast Louisiana University Foundation (Board of Director Member); Secretary of the Northeast Louisiana Land Corporation and President of the Industrial Development Board of North Louisiana; President of Northeast Louisiana Industries, Inc., and member of Rotary International Foundation (Paul Harris Fellow); President and state board member of the Ouachita Chapter of the Easter Seals Society, member of Optimist Club International; Chairman of the Board for the Carolyn Rose Strauss Rehabilitation Center; and Chairman of the Leadership Division for the United Way. Ben was also the recipient of the Clarke M. Williams Leadership Award and the Silver Beaver Award, the highest recognition a local Boy Scouts of America council can bestow upon its adult volunteers.

Ben is lovingly remembered by his wife, Nancy Kay Brown Peters; his children, Mollie Peters Everett, husband Andy and their children Emily, Nolan, Andrew, and Susanna; Benjamin Maxwell Peters Jr., wife Ainslee and their children Alex, Evans, and Sinclair; Sara Peters Butler, husband James, and their children Jackson, Maxwell, and Arabella; Nolan Peters, life partner Kathleen and daughter Sadie; Jonathan Potts Peters, wife Lauren and their children Myles, Sella, and Wilder.

The family extends special thanks to his beloved friend and administrative assistant of 44 years, Dorothy Tipton, whose guidance, support, and love over the years is beyond measure.

Pallbearers will be Jim Brown, Markley Huey, Carrick Inabnett, Malcolm Maddox, Kenny Solley, and Dr. Mike Zambie.

Memorials may be made to Med Camps of Louisiana or the charity of your choice.