George Peapples
1940-2012

George Peapples, committed and loving family man, friend to many, accomplished automotive executive and decorated civil servant, passed away at home on Wednesday, March 7 after living courageously with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for the past two years. George was an Ark Board Member for nearly a decade and served as Board Chair from 2004-2009. Prior to his volunteer service with The Ark he had a distinguished career with General Motors, interrupted from 1977 to 1980 when he accepted a Presidential appointment to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. As a result of his service, he received the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award. After leaving government service, George returned to GM and spent several years during the latter part of his career in Canada, including serving as President and General Manager of GM Canada.

George was born and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He received his BA and MBA from the University of Michigan and remained a lifelong UM fan. He and his wife Becky lived in Ann Arbor for much of his career, spending plentiful time on the western side of the state that he cherished. The Peapples were well-known to The Ark, thanks to Becky's banjo-playing and her involvement with the Argo Pond String Band. They’ve been generous Ark supporters on numerous fronts across the years. When George retired and returned permanently to Ann Arbor, we were fortunate to recruit him to our Campaign for The Ark Committee, then to the board. George presided over the board as Chair during a period of organizational growth and transition. He took his volunteer leadership role seriously, bringing his characteristic good thinking, calm demeanor and deep dedication to the organization. George was diagnosed with ALS in 2010 and the disease progressed rapidly. True to form, he remained engaged and positive in the face of a debilitating disease. He is missed.

A full obituary can be found here.


Richard Dieterle
1941-2012

Musician, physician, farmer, friend to The Ark and countless others, Richard “Dick” Dieterle took his final leave on February 28, 2012 following an honorable battle with cancer. A stellar community champion in several roles (music patron, bluegrass ambassador, community volunteer, township trustee, to name a few), Dick was most widely recognized standing tall as the fiddle player and emcee for Michigan’s renowned bluegrass band, the RFD Boys.

Born and raised in rural Ann Arbor township, Dick graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1969, the same year he started the RFD Boys. For the next 42 years, as each built a professional career outside of performing, the Band’s four original members have enjoyed a storied musical romp together. Starting out by playing around town at Mr. Floods Party, Lums and The Pretzel Bell, they’ve gone on to play for heads of state and crossed the oceans for gigs in Germany, Austria, Monaco, and Australia. For the last 20 years their home base has been The Ark, where we’ve been pleased and privileged to feature them as our house bluegrass band.

Dick was known for his on-stage comedic humor and his extraordinary sense of timing as the RFD Boys’ emcee. His last, and proudest, contribution to the art form was an instrumental bluegrass CD of his own compositions, which he completed weeks before his death.

We’ll miss this wonderful musician, community leader and friend. Gifts in Dick’s memory can be made to The Ark at 316 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 or Webster Historical Society, P.O. Box 253, Dexter, MI 48130.

If you would like to make a donation to The Ark in Richard Dieterle's memory, you may mail a check with Richard's name in the memo line to the address listed above. To donate using a credit card, please call The Ark's business office at 734-761-1800 or click the "Donate Now" button below. When donating on line please include Richard's name in the "special instructions" area during the check-out process.