Peter M. Gilchrist passed away peacefully July 11, 2024 at home, surrounded by his loving family.

He is survived by his wife Nancy; his daughter Alice Foti and husband Peter J. and granddaughter Charlotte; his son Peter A. and partner Rena Andoh and granddaughter Saya; and many wonderful relatives and friends.

Peter was born Aug. 15, 1945 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up in a joyful home, with parents Betty and Peter R., sister Cathy, Uncle Andy, and Buck the coonhound.

Peter spent his childhood summers climbing trees and his winters ice skating on the backyard rink his dad made for the neighborhood kids. He practiced piano and fed birds with his grandmother and, with his mother’s inspiration, began a lifelong love of reading and writing, in addition to his love of math.

In the late 1960s, after attending college in St. Louis, Missouri, Peter returned to St. Paul. It was there that he met his life partner Nan. This was the beginning of his most treasured adventure – their deeply-loving, competition-filled, non-stop-teasing life together. Peter asked Nan to join him when he needed to move to California for a programming job; he was so delighted when she said “yes!”

The new job involved frequent re-locations, but Peter didn’t mind – he loved driving, especially with Nan by his side. Together they enjoyed the rocky cliff roads of California’s coast and deep winter snows of upper Michigan. Ultimately, Peter and Nan headed to Maine, where they were lucky enough to find the good people of Boothbay Harbor and - under a red and white awning, nestled beside Harbor Motors - Ebb Tide Restaurant, up for sale.

Peter felt so welcomed by the folks who made Ebb Tide their home away from home. He was thoroughly impressed by the boundless loyalty, teamwork, and professionalism of the cooks, waitresses, and aquatic engineers who entrusted their careers to Ebb Tide. In the midafternoons, when the dining room was quiet, Peter could be found Coke-in-hand, sitting with folks in the alleyway’s plastic lawn chairs, chatting away.

Peter was grateful to the inspiring teachers and staff who taught his and Nan’s two children at the Boothbay Region’s schools. In the mid-1990s, Peter had the opportunity to help coach the middle school MathCounts club and, a few years later, the high school Math Team. Peter was so proud of the math students’ dedication and hard work; he considered it an honor to be a coach (and he was happy to commission Nan to bring delicious home-baked treats to every practice).

The February family trip to St. Paul was an annual highlight for Peter. He loved spending time with his parents and Cathy, Erich, Jeremy, Maddy and Norah and, as the family grew, Meg, Char, Alex, and Abby. Each year, they visited the animals at Como Zoo and completed many White Castle runs.

Peter loved games - Boggle, Scrabble, Clue, Double Canfield, Hearts, the Register’s weekly crossword puzzle, world capital quizzes, and, most recently, Wordle. One of his favorite pastimes was mini golf, especially at Dolphin. He was touched to be part of the Mini Golf Hall of Fame.

Peter had a frustratingly unorthodox tennis style, of which ever-tolerant Nan was the daily victim across many decades. He also loved hiking with his family, Wilbur included – both in the mountains of New England and on Boothbay Region Land Trust trails.

Peter cherished everything about being a grandfather. He loved the adoring way Saya patted the unruly hairs on top of his head, playing the orchard game and singing “Wheels on the Bus,” reading “Cat in the Hat” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” before hugs at bedtime, and making the Lion Book playfully roar while trailing Saya’s spunky, joy-filled self as she zoomed around the house. And he loved sharing homemade quizzes with Charlotte, relentlessly teasing about who was better at cornhole, snuggling together to read Donald Duck comics, and learning all about the world of Taylor Swift. And with both Saya and Charlotte, he loved to find the moon in the sky together.

We will always think fondly of Peter whenever we find ourselves working our way through a fun math problem; laughing at the Sunday comics; taking a hike on the soft pine straw of the Maine woods; patting a wagging dog; enjoying a delicious slice of Nan’s chocolate cake; playing a friendly-but-competitive game of Gin; and searching for the moon each night – from Peter’s perspective, both another chance for a contest (of course!), but also a reminder of everything that is bigger than us, and of how grateful Peter was for the opportunity to share this wonderful life with everyone.

A competitive celebration in Peter’s honor is being planned in Boothbay Harbor for summer 2025.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund to establish the Peter M. Gilchrist Named Fund to pursue excellence in mathematics. If you wish, you may make a donation online at www.BRSAF.org or send a check to: BRSAF, P.O. Box 293, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.