PETER H. WILLIAMS

PITTSFIELD – Peter H. Williams, 63, of Pittsfield died Aug. 14, 2004, the result of a motorcycle accident. Born in Hanson, Mass., Peter was raised by his parents, Edith and Lester Williams Sr., in Hebron. Peter and Rosalie, his wife of 43 years, lived, worked and raised their family in the Pittsfield community for 28 years. Peter’s zest for life and learning is reflected in his many interests, which include skiing, sailing, flying, woodworking, traveling and motorcycling. He attended Hebron Academy, where he was captain of the ski team and a football quarterback. Following his graduation from Hebron Academy, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University and a doctorate in education from Indiana University in 1970. Throughout his career, Peter’s travel experiences shaped his perspectives and enhanced his teaching. From 1960-1962, he and wife, Rosalie volunteered as Peace Corps teachers in Sierra Leone, West Africa. As a Fulbright specialist in South Africa in the winter of 1998, Peter researched approaches to training South African elementary teachers in mathematics and science. During the fall semester of l999, Peter and Rosalie spent four months teaching at Beijing Polytechnical University in Beijing, China. In 2002, they again traveled together throughout Great Britain. During the course of his life, Peter and Rosalie traveled extensively in the United States, including a six-month trip across the U.S. in 2004. Peter used his background in education to enhance the training and safety programs at Cianbro. He began his career at Cianbro in 1975 as training director and completed his career as vice president of personnel and safety in 1985. After developing training and safety programs for 10 years at Cianbro, Peter returned to the University of Maine at Farmington. He is the author of a statistics text which was used at the university for eight years. Peter was chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science for a number of years, as well as the chairman of the Department of Science and Mathematics. He was also chairman of the Faculty Senate from 1988 to 1990. Peter retired from the Mathematics Department at the University of Maine at Farmington on June 30, 2004. As a statistical analyst at the Maine Health Research Institute (MHRI), Peter participated in a number of projects to improve health care in Maine. He worked with a team which developed a nationally accepted model detailing cost effective delivery of HIV treatment. Peter served at MCI in Pittsfield as a member on the board of trustees for six years. He was a chairperson of the strategic planning team for math and science. Peter was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who enjoyed living life to its fullest. His life was enriched by a multitude of interests and activities – spending time camping with his wife and family, sailing at the family cottage, swimming on summer afternoons with his grandchildren, skiing with his sons, and celebrating holidays with the extended family. He enjoyed fresh Maine lobster and home-baked apple pie, watching Sunday afternoon football and solving complex puzzles. Peter is survived by his wife of 43 years, Rosalie; two sons, Dan and Jeff; and four brothers, Lester, Lew, John and Lloyd. Visiting hours will be held 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, 2004, at the Baptist Church located on the corner of the Maine Central Institute campus on Main Street in Pittsfield. A funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, 2004, at Wright Gymnasium on the Maine Central Institute campus. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dr. Peter Williams memorial scholarship fund at the University of Maine at Farmington. Send donations to the UMF Development Office, 242 Main St., Farmington, ME 04938. Arrangements are under the direction of Donald H. Shorey Funeral Chapel, 35 Hartland Ave., Pittsfield.