Peter Dow Borst, born January 14, 1951, was the son of Lucile H. and John R. Borst.
Peter was raised in Sherburne, NY and attended the Sherburne elementary and Central High School. In his youth he spent summers with his grandparents in the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River, Philmont Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico, and Adirondack Woodcraft Camp.
He graduated from Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine. He attended the State University of NY at Delhi, NY graduating with an Associate of Applied Science in Restaurant Management. He worked in several fine dining restaurants in Massachusetts: Ten Center Street in Newburyport, the Children’s Inn in Brookline, Harvard Club in Boston, and as kitchen manager at Nick’s Restaurant in Boston.
Peter switched careers to focus on the music industry. He was the owner/operator of Rockhopper Trucking as a freelance roadie, contract trucker and stage manager for singers and entertainers including The Beach Boys, Papa John Creach, John Hiatt, Little Feat, and Extreme.
Later Peter went to work for Universal Studios in Florida and then attended the University of Central Florida earning a BS degree in Business Administration. He worked as an accountant in the Orlando area before moving to Cumberland, RI to assist his friend, Martin Favorite, with mortgage processing.
Most recently Peter has been living in Woonsocket, RI. After extended medical illnesses, he died at 73 yrs. old on July 3, 2024 at the Hope Health Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence.
Peter had diverse interests from Native American crafts and jewelry, candle-making, swimming, to whipping up a platter of Oysters Rockefeller. But he was most passionate about penguins and an avid collector of over 1000 penguin replicas of all shapes, sizes, and materials. He visited live penguins in zoos around the country.
Peter was a naturalist who could identify and tell you about the birds, aquatic animals, and fish in rivers, ponds, and along the coastline. His photographs attest to his skill of capturing their images in the wild.
Peter was pre-deceased by his parents. He is survived by his sister, Pamela Borst Bland of Lambertville, NJ, his nieces, Rebecca McCarrick of Louisville, KY and Deborah Roberts of Freeport, FL, grand-nephew Hunter McCarrick, and grand-nieces Natalie and Kourtney Roberts.
Peter can be pictured in his Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt, turquoise rings, silver bola tie around his neck, sometimes holding a small fishing net, searching for salamanders, sand crabs, or turtles or canoeing down the Wekiva River in Florida in search of a green heron or a moorhen to photograph. That is where Peter found peace and happiness. Rest in peace with all earth’s creatures that you loved, dear brother----
A celebration of Peter’s life and interment at the Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill, NY are planned by his family at a future date.
Donations can be made in Peter’s memory to: Global Penguin Society, at the Wildlife Conservation Network, wildnet.org.