Gerald Gene Hughes (Peter), 90, a resident of Warrenton, VA, passed away on May 19, 2020, at the Lake Manassas Health and Rehabilitation Center, Gainesville, VA.
Peter was born on March 25, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan, to James Russell and Grace Hemstreet Hughes.
He did undergraduate work at Northwestern University until he joined the Air Force during the Korean War. He later earned a BA in Theology at St. Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer, Mass., and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest there in 1961. At his ordination, he took the name of “Peter.” He served in monasteries in Puerto Rico and Chile.
Peter joined the U.S. Army in 1965 as a chaplain, serving at Ft. Jackson, S. C., with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, and in community relations in Taegu, Korea. He received an Honorable Discharge as a Captain in the Chaplain Corps May 14, 1968.
Peter earned a masters in Pastoral Psychology from Catholic University, Washington, D. C., in 1968. While in Washington, he served on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s staff.
Peter left the priesthood in 1969, married Mimi (Marilyn) Yee in 1976, continued graduate studies in psychology at U. C. Berkeley, and worked in substance abuse counseling with Chevron and Marin County, Calif. He moved to Virginia in 2002.
Peter was preceded in death by his wife, Mimi Yee, his parents, and his siblings Robert and Barbara.
Peter is survived by his daughter, Rose Vasquez, of California, two step-children Karna and Kevin Yee, his nephew, Charlie Hughes (Lois), of Levittown, PA, and a host of friends in the Fauquier community.
All are grateful to the staff of Lake Manassas Health & Rehab for the compassionate care Peter received there.
Memorials may be sent to St. James’ Episcopal Church, 73 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186, or Hero’s Bridge, P.O. Box 861606, Warrenton, VA 20187
A graveside service will be held at a future date.
