Peter Denehy, 96, of Willow

Peter (Cornelius Anthony) Denehy, beloved husband and father, of Willow, N.Y., passed away peacefully with the love of his family, at the ripe age of 96, on April 22, 2017. He was born in White Plains, N.Y., in 1921, to Cornelius and Bride Denehy. He was a world War II veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Air Forces as navigator and radioman, and in 2015, he participated in the Veterans Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

He taught in the Clarkstown School District in Rockland County for 34 years, and upon his retirement, he moved to Willow and continued teaching in the Onteora School District as a substitute for the next 20 years. Throughout this time, Peter volunteered for Family of Woodstock, answering crisis calls for 20-plus years. He also served on the Ulster County SHARP Commission.

Peter had multiple master’s degrees: Education, Marine Biology, Frozen Food Technology, Psychology, and Broadcast Television.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Janet; their daughter, Pamela; and his sister, Patricia.

He is survived by his wife, Valerie, of 45 years; five children: Melissa Swain (Robbie), Andrea Singer (Paul), Christina Denehy, Peter Gordon (Madeleine), and Deirdre Lucash (Steve); niece, Cynnie Boyer and (Kurt); nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, as well as a gigantic extended family.

Peter was a voracious reader and reciter of Thoreau, singer of Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” and “Teterboro Tower” and dancer to “Raindrops Keep Fallen on My Head.” In free form, he flew across the floor. He was a man of many talents, but above all else he was a crazy Notre Dame football fan, like his father before him. You were a gentleman and a scholar. We will miss you always.

There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, May 13, 2017, at Mountain View Studios in Woodstock from 2 to 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to Family of Woodstock Crisis Hotline, P.O. Box 3516, Kingston N.Y. 12402.