Necrology
Peter Duane Ramsdell '68
Oct. 2, 1946-Aug. 2, 2020
Peter Duane Ramsdell ’68 spent his career in education, serving 35 years as a teacher and administrator in the Vernon and Somers, Conn., school systems.
Ramsdell, who lived in Cavendish, Vt., died on Aug. 2, 2020, at the age of 73. He and his wife, Dorothy, were married for 51 years. The greatest joy of his life, his family said in a published obituary, was spending time with his three sons and his grandchildren.
Born on Oct. 2, 1946, in Hartford, Conn., to Raymond Ramsdell and the former Natalie Allen, and the youngest of their three boys, he grew up in Vernon, where he would later spend much of his career. At Hamilton, Ramsdell majored in biology, joined Delta Phi fraternity, and participated in the band. Later he would earn graduate degrees from the University of Hartford and the University of Connecticut.
Ramsdell and Dorothy Arzt married on June 7, 1969, and would have three sons. When the children were young, the family enjoyed traveling, taking multiple cross-country trips to visit national parks and historical sites.
Ramsdell served in the Army National Guard, and his professional and community activities included the presidency of the Connecticut Science Supervisors Association and membership in the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association. As a member of the Snow Travelers snowmobile club in Cavendish, he performed trail maintenance and served as club historian.
After retirement, Ramsdell split his time between his home in Cavendish and Cape Cod. He loved woodworking, building the home in which he raised his family and a log cabin in Vermont. His house in Vermont contained his dream workshop, which is where he created projects that he often gave as gifts, the obituary noted.
In their retirement years, Ramsdell and his wife enjoyed travel, journeying to Costa Rica, the western Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Portugal, and his all-time favorite trip — a three-week African safari.
Survivors include his wife, children, and grandchildren.
