From Chapter Historian Grace Yakuber
On the north end of runway 36, in Traverse City's Oakwood Cemetery, are the graves of C.W. "Pete" Peters and his wife Evie. I took notice of this particular gravestone because of the oddly positioned headstone (facing the approach course for runway 18), and more importantly, the detailed airplane engraved into the granite.
While walking back from my adventure to find Harry Hibbard Jr.'s grave (the first EAA Chapter 234 president), I couldn't help but stop and do some research. There must be a good reason this particular gravestone was facing the runway, watching all the airplanes land and depart from runway 18/36.
Turns out, Mr. and Mrs. Peters were both Capital Airlines employees, working at the old terminal at Cherry Capital Airport. They had met there, and gotten married not long after. Bonded in life and in death by the love of flying and travel, they were laid to rest in Oakland Cemetery in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Their gravestone signified what brought them together, by representation of a little airplane.
For a long time, whenever I asked people about the old terminal building that once stood on the north side of the airport (at the southern end of Airport Access Road), people simply told me "it had a restaurant upstairs."
It was not until recently I learned the name of that restaurant. The Suncatcher Restaurant and Lounge was situated on the second level of the old terminal building. Equipped with an outdoor aircraft viewing area, and nestled next to the now-also-demolished air traffic control tower, the "old" terminal (as we all refer to it today) was built sometime between the 50s and 60s, and stood until its demolition in 2004.
I don't know much detail about The Suncatcher other than it plainly existed. I have not been privy to a full restaurant review from any of the old-timer EAA chapter elders!
The old terminal was serviced by a multitude of airlines that are long gone or have since merged with other prominent local airlines. I find it curious how many people flew through the old terminal, back when jet bridges were not the standard and walking out to your airplane was part of the norm. I often like to ponder if perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Peters ever had lunch at The Suncatcher and watched Capital Airlines aircraft taxi right up to the old terminal.
Although the old terminal no longer stands, and photos of it are quite hard to come by, I am privileged to hear so many stories of the old terminal during the zenith of its era. If you have any stories of the old terminal or the Suncatcher, please share them with me!
