George Urban Peterkin has recently passed away after a short battle with lung cancer. He was 72.
George Peterkin, 72, recently passed away. A date for his funeral service has not yet been announced.
Born in Norwalk Hospital on Aug. 15, 1951, George was a resident of Darien for 50 years before moving to Stonington for the last 20. He chose Stonington because “it’s what I remember Darien was like when I was growing up.”
He became a supporter of Mystic Seaport in keeping with his family’s nautical background. George was particularly proud of his father’s Naval career in the Pacific during World War II, as part of the famed Torpedo Squadron 8.
George put together a manuscript of that Naval career from his father’s countless letters sent to family, his oral history, and his journals and notes. George had it published privately and shared it with extended family and some of the survivors of that squadron. That manuscript was referenced and excerpts were used by Robert Mrazek in his book “Dawn Like Thunder,” the True Story of Squadron Eight.”
George was a lifelong gardener, having held jobs for many years at Kelly’s Nursery and The Garden Center in Darien. He often brought home the nurseries’ cast offs and planted them at his family home where they flourished under his care.
He was especially proud of a cherry tree over which he had to do battle with the birds for fruit. George would share the bounty of his vegetable garden with extended family, friends and neighbors (and some of those same birds).
George felt a special kinship to the offspring of his ancestral namesake, George P. Urban of Buffalo, where his mother was born. He became a family historian and repository of family memorabilia. He was very keen on preserving that heritage for future Urban generations.
He was particularity fond of his family’s “next generation” and doted on his nieces, nephew, and children of his cousins. George was always young at heart and loved communicating with them as they grew up. His affection for them was warmly reciprocated, bringing him much joy.
George is survived by his sister, Clare McDermott; her younger daughter, Stephanie; and granddaughter, Kaitlyn of Heber Utah; her older daughter, Jennifer Sinclair; her husband, Ben; and son, Lincoln, of Stowe Vermont; his sister, Kate Peterkin of Fort Collins Colorado; brother, Patrick Peterkin; Patrick’s wife, Merrill Collins; and son, William, of Darien.
Services are pending.
— an obituary from Lawrence Funeral Home, where online condolences may be left