Obituary: Fred Peters

fred-peters-fi
Fred Peters
Fred Peters

Fred W.A. Peters, a popular builder and seller of boats in Greenwich for more than 40 years, died on Jan. 20 at his home in Cos Cob. He was 81 years old.

Peters owned and operated Mianus Marina and was the president and owner of Albin Marine USA. Having seen rough conditions himself in the North Atlantic as an officer in the Dutch merchant marine, Peters insisted on building the safest diesel-powered yachts possible. “My years on the high seas taught me the importance of safety,” he once wrote. “It’s my overriding concern when we design, construct and equip an Albin.”

Born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 8, 1934, to Martin J. and Gerarda Adriaansz Peters, Fred Peters joined the military as a young man and trained as a communication specialist. He served with the Dutch marines in the East Indies and New Guinea, and then in the Dutch merchant marine. He later worked for the Holland America Line as a radio officer on voyages between New York and Rotterdam.

By 1958, when Peters immigrated to the U.S., he was a skilled sailor who had traveled the world. He married Monica Johansson in the early 1960’s.

Peters worked first for Palmer Engines in Cos Cob, and then in 1965 began selling the esteemed Swedish-made Albins. As president of Albin USA, Peters expanded the operation, building trawlers in Taiwan and cruising and fishing boats in Rhode Island. Peters bought Albin Marine in 1981.

Many Greenwich families plied the Sound and more distant waters in boats such as Albin’s 28-foot Tournament Express and its 30-foot Family Cruiser. Of the latter boat he said, “She is true to her Swedish heritage and backed by over a century of engineering innovation—much of it developed right here in Cos Cob. Now that I’m a grandfather, the idea of families being together on the water is even more important to me… Just look at it. There’s no mistake for whom we designed this boat.”

Peters retired in 2008, the better to indulge his interests in traveling and boating.

He his survived by daughter, Miranda Hussar, of New Canaan; by two sisters, Beatrix McKane of Long Island, N.Y., and Tineke Parker of Miami; and by two grandchildren. His former wife lives in Greenwich.

Family and friends are making donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090.

At his memorial service on Jan. 25 at St. Catherine of Sienna in Riverside, his sister Beatrix gave a eulogy beginning with the famous Walt Whitman poem: “O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,/The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,/The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting….”

Beatrix continued, “From the time that my sister Tineke and I were young, he was our fearless leader.  When he was only 10 years old, our mother passed away, and Fred was put in charge of his two little sisters, only eight and four years old. This was a huge burden for a boy so young, but he lived up to this responsibility until the day that he died.

“From an early age, Fred loved adventure. By the age of 16, he had mastered the streets of Amsterdam and was destined for more. He left for the high seas, where he travelled the four corners of the world, first as a pantry boy on a cruise line and then a radio operator officer for the Dutch Merchant Marines and Holland America. Anyone who shared a Heineken with Fred would have heard the stories of exotic ports around the globe. He could regale us with tales from Papua New Guinea to Venezuela, from Norway to South Africa.

“Through his stories he shared this life of adventure with all of us. Some of our favorite memories of Fred are sitting around a table, listening as the master storyteller laid out his stories before us. Together we travelled the stormy seas and slept in the ships bunks until we could feel the waves crashing on the decks and smell the strange scents of foreign lands.

“Fred was loved by so many people because he taught us all how to enjoy our lives and embrace the adventure. Everyone in this church knows the sound of his booming laugh—we will never forget the feeling. It was impossible not to smile yourself when you heard it.

“He was kind, compassionate and generous. He reached out his hand to all of us here when we needed it. He was there for all of us, helping us find our way when we were lost. Like a beacon in the night, like a lighthouse on the shore, he guided us through the waves as they crashed around us. He lifted us up and he taught us to see the beauty and the joy in life. If we can do one thing for Fred in return, let us all remember this as we go about our lives. Our Captain has taught us a valuable lesson, and we can honor him by celebrating our stories, reaching out our hands in compassion to those around us, and seeing the joy in every day.”

Related Posts
Loading...