Roll Call Tribute

Kayci Kahler Peterson 

June 16, 1972 - October 1, 2023 

Kayci Kahler Peterson, loving mother, sister and friend, passed away Sunday, October 1st, 2023 at the age of 51.

Kayci was born on June 16, 1972, in New Braunfels, TX, to Genevieve and Dr. Nelson Kahler. She was blessed to share this birthdate with her identical twin sister, Kemery Kahler Atkins. Kayci was the youngest of eight siblings (the caboose of the Kahler family train). She served as Vice President of her student body and played varsity tennis, placing 2nd in state doubles, prior to graduation at New Braunfels High School.

After high school, she attended Southwest Baptist University before transferring to Texas A&M University, graduating with a degree in Education in 1994. Kayci had the most beautiful and radiant smile, which reflected how spunky, outgoing and full of life she was.

Kayci’s pride and joy were her children, Graham, Wellington and Genevieve. Home was filled with laughter, warmth, positivity and delicious home cooked meals. She loved creating meaningful experiences, such as a family event called “late night stay up's”. While Kayci would rearrange the couches and prepare the house, her husband and kids would run to McDonalds, grab supersized Cokes and play video games late into the night. The Peterson house was the life of the neighborhood. Kayci would organize impromptu front-yard football and basketball games, as well as the occasional mud fight with kids throughout the neighborhood.

Kayci possessed a deep Christian faith. She invested in others by leading Bible studies, volunteering for Young Life and K-Life Ministries, assisting with Vacation Bible School at Grace Bible Church, working as the girls’ program director for K-Country at Kanakuk Kamps, and volunteering with Mainly Music, a children’s ministry headquartered in New Zealand. One common theme throughout her endeavors was her unwavering passion for sharing the boundless love of Christ with people she encountered.

In her final years, Kayci had a passion to forge new experiences, see new places, and meet new people, specifically in Rome, Italy. Whether it was viewing the historic architectural beauty, sitting next to fountains across the city, or explaining how the cats in Rome have rights, she embraced it all. In Rome, she found the place where she dreamed of living one day.

Kayci is survived by her fiance, Dr. Mark J. Clayton as well as her three children: Graham Peterson, Wellington Peterson, and Genevieve Peterson; her mother, Genevieve Kahler; her three sisters, Kourtney Oggero, Kingsley Reister and Kemery Atkins; her four brothers, Klift Kahler, Dr. Kendrick Kahler, Brigadier General Kipling (Kip) Kahler and Koury Kahler. She is preceded in death by her father, Dr. Nelson Kahler.

Friends and family are invited to a memorial service on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Grace Bible Church: Anderson Campus. 700 Anderson Street, College Station, Texas. Following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at the church. A graveside service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Monday, October 9, 2023, at Guadalupe Valley Memorial Park in New Braunfels, Texas.

In lieu of flowers or other remembrances, the family asks that you consider making a donation to Gilead’s Hope, a non-profit created to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ through specific medical and surgical interventions for the impoverished in Cambodia. http://www.gileadshope.org/donate/