Here is Peter’s daughter Phoebe’s Eulogy:
Thank you everyone for coming and celebrating the life of my father. 

My Dad, as you all know, was a unique man. He was loving, smart, charismatic, well-read, loyal, creative, enthusiastic, and multi-faceted.

But I wouldn’t be speaking truthfully if I didn’t say that at times he could also be headstrong, purposefully difficult, and had many opinions on how one – especially his daughter – should live their life.

That said, he was one of the most compassionate and caring people I have ever met. The thing is, sometimes his most annoying habits could also be his best attributes. 

If you knew my Dad, you knew he loved to tell you what to do and offer unsolicited advice. However, the problem was, much of the time, the advice or instructions he’d give were right. He always meant well and his actions came from a place of love and generosity.

We would often fight when he’d tell me what to do and I’d be fuming for months, and then all of a sudden the unwanted advice would click in my brain and I understood exactly what he was saying and that he was exactly right. For example when I wanted to graduate college early and get a job he said ‘don’t be crazy, college is the best time of your life,” and he wasn’t wrong.

Of course, I’m similar to my father and stubborn as ever so I’d never actually acknowledge when he was right.

The best life lessons he taught me were at times when I didn’t want to listen. When I think back on his advice now, I am so grateful.

It’s ironic to be grateful for something I was so mad about before, but that was often how I learned from my Dad.

Since I’m on the subject of unsolicited advice, if you ever watched my Dad and I play tennis, you know his opinon was his favorite thing to lob at me. I’ll apologize now to the Pothiers, whose tennis court was the home of so many memories, many of which they could hear from inside. My father’s goal was to teach me the activities he felt every kid should know and that would last a lifetime. So, with tennis, a friendly game often turned to tears of frustration. My Dad would critique my serve or my topspin and within minutes and one of us would be screaming. There may have even been a few times when I threw my racquet or hit the balls into the woods so we couldn’t continue playing, but like I said we were both stubborn.

Besides tennis, my Dad taught me to do so much - sail, surf, ski, waterski, swim, and change my bicycle tire. He was a drill sergeant when it came to sailing. He would have us tread water in our clothes for minutes on end to make sure we were strong enough, and would blindfold me while sailing so I could feel the boat, the wind, and the water as an extension of my own body. Even though I thought he was crazy in those moments – and similar to our tennis matches there were certainly a good number of shouts and tears – I did learn to sail and even won a few regattas.

I think our stubbornness came to a head when I became a teenager. Just a guess. But you might think that because my Dad was so fun and free-spirited, he would be one of those laid-back Dads. He most definitely was not. I think the scariest thing my Dad ever faced was figuring out how to deal with a teenage daughter. We would bicker about everything. He wanted me to dress like a nun and of course I was having none of it.  And since he lived such a fun and mischievous life he knew all of the tricks in the book. One summer night I said I was going to a bonfire at Crescent Beach, just up the coast from my grandparents’ house. He said that it was fine if I went, but that he would drive me and wait in the car until it was over, so that was the end of that. In another instance for junior prom, a group of friends was planning on camping out after prom at a state park. When my dad got news of this information he made plans to get a campsite nearby and said he’d come visit to see how the after prom party was going. Mortified that I’d be the one whose parent showed up I decided not to go camping.

Although my dad could be strict he made it his life’s mission to teach my cousins and I how to have fun. He’d sail us out to the raft and was always up for anevening swim just before dinner. He taught my cousin Elizabeth and I how to surf in Newport and cliff jump in only the best spots. He’d take us on boat rides to Cuttyhunk, Martha’s Vineyard and every cove in Buzzards Bay. He knew how to push the limits and taught us the art of stealth. From him I learned how to sneak into a Red Sox Game after the fifth inning and get front row seats. I also learned that if you hopped the fence at Fenway during batting practice and acted like you were supposed to be there than you could hang out with the players. Unfortunately, as Katie just shared, my cousin Matthew didn’t learn the art of stealth just quite yet as he hopped the fence with 10 of his friends and got questioned by the police but as my dad said at the time, it’s a learning curve. 

I also wanted to take some time to thank my dad’s friends. He had friends from all over the world – old and new. He was diligent about maintaining contact with old childhood, high school, and college friends and it showed because whenever we traveled, we never needed to stay at a hotel, there was always room at one of his “old buddy’s” houses. Even though I don’t know all of you I feel like I do in a sense. Car trips between New York and here were filled with phone calls to friends where he enjoyed prank phone calling and always ended up breaking into a fit of laughter while I could hear through the phone an equally loud cackle. Sometimes I got a chance to meet you if we were couch surfing at your house on the way to our next ski trip or adventure. Thank you to those who my dad showed up unannounced at your door asking what time dinner was and thank you to those who always kept a jug of orange juice in their fridge because they knew my dad might be stopping by. Your friendships meant the world to him and to those I never got the chance to meet I want to say thank you as well because I know how he loved you all.

I want to thank my family and my boyfriend, Connor. I don’t know how I could have gotten through this difficult time without you all. I will always be grateful for the help, patience, and compassion you’ve given not only my father but also me. Lastly, I want to thank my dad, who taught me to think differently and enjoy life. He was a listener who knew how to calm me down and give me perspective when I was at my worst but also give me hope for the future and allow me to see the endless possibilities life has to offer. I know he won’t be forgotten because he was a really great person but most importantly he was a really great dad.