Peter E. Price, a 61 year resident of Andover and beloved husband of the late Suzanne (Curley) Price, passed away peacefully on March 2, surrounded by family. He always said he was shooting for 100. At 96, he earned a solid "A" for effort.
Peter was born in Syracuse, NY, son of the late Everett B. and Muriel (Weatherhead) Price of DeWitt, NY. He received his elementary education in a one room school house and graduated as valedictorian from Fayetteville High School in 1947. He went on to receive B.S., M.S., and Sc.D. degrees in metallurgy from MIT, where he sailed, rowed varsity crew, and was a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He always enjoyed telling the tale of the boom from a hydrogen explosion in his graduate research apparatus reverberating through the MIT hallways. No one was injured, and his doctoral research carried on. Over his career, he was employed by Allegheny Ludlum Steel, Merck, General Motors, and finally Industrial Materials Technology in Andover and was an active member of the Boston chapter of the American Society for Metals for many years. In retirement, he received patents for an artificial hip prosthesis and a squirrel-proof bird feeder. He read a full set of daily newspapers, followed the health science literature while enjoying a daily bowl of ice cream, and was an early enrollee in the Harvard Aging Brain study. Peter was a member of the Andover Tennis Club and volunteered with the Buddy Werner League and the Channel 2 Auction. His two recreational passions were handball, which he played in Boston every Thursday night until age 82, and fly fishing, where he was always the one to land the biggest trout from New Hampshire to Montana, until age 87.
Peter traveled the world for work and pleasure and loved Gloucester, the Cape, the coast of Maine, the Gulf coast of Florida, and Bermuda. He dug soft-shell clams for steaming and quohogs and sea clams for chowder. On holidays, he enjoyed putting the family home at risk by capping meals with flaming cherries jubilee. He was the most witty and wonderful father and grandfather. He leveled his back yard and flooded it each winter to create a neighborhood skating rink. In the warmer months, the yard had gardens at both ends, whose raspberry and vegetable bounty found its way to his and Suzanne's culinary delights and was shared freely with neighbors. He was there for his children's soccer, softball, and ice hockey games, track meets, ski races, and life celebrations. He waited for the school bus with his grandchildren and taught them how to tend the earth and appreciate all living things. As a father and grandfather, he lived and cultivated curiosity and inquiry into the world around us all.
Peter was brother to the late Susan P. Lang of DeWitt, NY, and is survived by his loving children Jacqueline P. Griffin of Minneapolis, MN, Peter E. and wife Keren Price of Minneapolis, MN, George W., and wife Elena Price of Westwood and Jennifer P. and husband, Nicholas N. Timpko of Andover. He was "Papa" to cherished grandchildren, Nathaniel, Gus, Emma, George, Jared, Holly, and Peter.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring. The burial will be private. Peter loved dogs throughout his life. Donations in Peter's memory may be made to Sweet Paws Rescue, www.sweetpawsrescue.org. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com