Peter Jerome Vials passed away at home in Leighton on March 5, 2023 at the age of 80. He was born in Houston, Texas on January 5, 1943 to parents Dorothy Anne Reichert and William Henry Vials. Peter spent his early childhood in Houston before moving to San Antonio, Texas, where he grew up in the Alamo Heights neighborhood with his brother William and sister Mary.
Peter was proud of his Catholic heritage, instilled in him from an early age by his parents and by Central Catholic High School in San Antonio. After graduation from Central, he continued his Catholic education at Loyola University in New Orleans before transferring to St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where he received a B.S. in Mathematics.
After college, he began a lifelong career as a computer systems analyst, primarily in Houston. In the late 1960s, he worked for Philco-Ford, a NASA contractor, where he helped to develop the Apollo space program, responsible for the first manned moon landings in 1969. He became an expert in supervisory control and acquisition (SCADA) systems, critical for oil and gas production and delivery, and developed these platforms in the energy industry. Late in his career, he worked for Southern Natural Gas and El Paso Energy in Birmingham.
At Philco-Ford, he met Judy Fennel and they married on February 28, 1970. They raised their children Jan and Chris in Houston. Peter and Judy moved to Leighton in 1990, where they spent his remaining years.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother William Henry Vials, Jr. He is survived by wife Judy Fennel Vials; son Christopher Reichert Vials and wife Cathy Schlund-Vials; daughter Jan Rutland Sheehy and husband Daniel; grandchildren Jason Daniel Sheehy and wife Andrea, Stephen Benjamin Sheehy, Jillian Sheehy Allen and husband Cody; and sister Mary Anne Crosby and husband Anthony.
The pallbearers are Gregg Preuit Blythe, Edward Lile Fennel, Gordon Preuit Fennel, Mark Lile Fennel, Leonard Preuit Mauldin, Daniel Leonard Sheehy, and Jason Daniel Sheehy.
Honorary pallbearers are John Gregory Bowling, Bryan Keith Forstman, James Edward Jones, Paul Everett Jones III, Fred Benjamin King, James Briscoe King, Lawrence Henderson King III, William James Lee IV, Frederick Terrel Marthaler Jr., Edward Fennel Mauldin Jr., Macke Buchanan Mauldin, Richard Gordon Preuit Jr, James Keith Quick, and Barry Young.
There will be a memorial service to honor his life at Our Lady of the Shoals Catholic Church on Saturday, March 11. Visitation begins at 10am, followed by a memorial mass at 11am. Burial will be at King Cemetery in Leighton.
