Peter Tristam Merrill passed away on April 16, 2023, in York Beach, Maine with family holding his hands and heart. His intelligence, sly humor, humility, and thoughtful approach to life will be forever missed by those who knew and loved him.
Peter was married for nearly 47 years to Susan Cook Merrill. Their deep love for each other and their profound respect for each other’s professional and personal aspirations took them across the country and around the world. Their love for their children, Jessica Merrill Harbick and James Carnegie Merrill was the foundation upon which they built their lives. Peter welcomed his son-in-law, Ryan Harbick, and his daughter-in-law, Grace (Roberts) Merrill into the family immediately; they became integral to his life, and he loved them dearly. Nothing put a twinkle in Peter’s eyes like his granddaughter, Rose Abigail Harbick. He introduced her to his favorite music, read to her, and let her “help” him work in the yard; they shared a love of chocolate and ice cream. And to live to hold his grandson, Alexander Henry Harbick, was the fulfillment of a fervent wish.
Peter was born in New Haven, Connecticut on November 29, 1954, where he was adored by wonderful cousins Dustin, Steven, and Henry. As a young child his parents moved him and his younger siblings, Christopher C. Merrill, and Nancy J. Merrill, to Exeter, New Hampshire where he spent his childhood in a tight community of friends and surrounded by beloved cousins John, David, Andrew, Thomas, Jeffrey, and Hannah.
Peter attended Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating in 1972. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1976 with BA and MA degrees in Russian Language and Literature. Peter earned his PhD in Slavic Languages and Literature and an MA in Linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1983.
His academic career started with an assistant professorship in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Maryland, College Park.
In 1989, Peter joined the faculty at Phillips Academy Andover (PA) and served in numerous roles for the next twenty-eight years. Peter loved his role as house counselor, seeing this as the heart of preparatory-school life; he lived in dormitories (Taylor, Rockwell, Fuess) for twenty-six years because he believed deeply in the positive influence adults can have on teenagers. He coached girl’s hockey for many years and then started the intramural fencing program, which offered the potential of a life-long sport to countless adolescents who did not come to PA with an established sport trajectory. Peter brought the importance of cultural understanding and appreciation to his German and Russian language teaching. He was head of the Division of World Languages and director of an interdisciplinary program for students in Kunming, China. Peter was pivotal to the school’s global education initiatives, through which he traveled to India, Tajikistan, South Africa, and China.
In 2017, Peter became co-chair of the Education Design Team for Whittle School and Studios. In this role he created curriculum, including advising and teacher development, to support the educational philosophy for schools in China and Washington, DC. Peter was excited to put into practice all that he had been working on during his education career. He brought a patience and experience to discussions that had a tremendous influence on his Whittle colleagues. Peter retired in 2021.
Peter served on the board of the American Council of Teachers of Russian for twenty-seven years during which, with dear colleagues, he co-developed national standards governing Russian education. He was also a long-standing member of the American Association of Slavic & East European Languages. Peter earned service and excellence awards from both organizations.
While Peter’s teaching centered on language acquisition, he was passionate about education in the broadest sense, and brought this passion to the classroom, the dorm, his colleagues, and his family and friends. Peter’s was a curious and probing mind that sought out connections in everything he read, saw, and learned. He believed that a global perspective creates tolerance and expands thinking and understanding both at individual and larger group levels.
After he and Susan retired to Maine, they became interested in permaculture and creating a yard of all-native plantings. While he had never been interested in gardening, he brought to this new venture his intelligence, his love of physical exertion, and his joy in creating something new with Susan.
As Peter lived, so he died – humble, quiet, sincere – expressing gratitude for his life, the opportunities he had, the differences he hoped he made, his friends, and the love of his family. He asked that his obituary end with this statement: “I have had as rich and full a life as any one person could hope for – much more than I could ever have imagined or than I deserved. Thank you to everyone who made that so.”
Memorial Service for Peter T Merrill
Saturday, August 26, 2023
York Street Baptist Church
61 York Street 03909
York, ME
Service at 10 AM with reception to follow.
Please feel free to leave online condolence messages under the "Guestbook" tab
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com