NORTH POMFRET, VT — Peter Fox Smith, 85, of North Pomfret, Vt. died at home in hospice care on Monday, October 5th, 2020.
Peter was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 27th, 1935 to Ralston Fox Smith Jr. and Alice Johnson Smith.
He attended University School, Shaker Heights, Ohio, Denison University (B.A), and Harvard University (M.A.T., Ph.D.)
A true renaissance man, his employment was varied due to his many interests and talents. He was Director of the Red Raider Boys Overnight Camp in Novelty, Ohio, part of an outdoor education and horsemanship camp founded by his father; Professor of Humanities/ Dean of Students, Emerson College; teaching fellow in Classics, Instructor, Assistant Director of General Education at Harvard University; Professor of Philosophy, Royalton College; Professor of Humanities/ Dean of Students, Canaan College; Director of the Vermont Council on the Arts; Women’s Cross country running/Track and Field Coach/ Professor of Opera, Dartmouth College; Producer of a weekly Saturday afternoon radio program on VPR featuring opera and music for forty years with his technician and friend Sam Sanders, never missing a Saturday broadcast. He also enjoyed lecturing on his passion for opera to students of the NWPL learning lab, and led music lovers on tours to the great opera houses of Europe. He was also an author/poet writing the definitive book on opera, “A Passion for Opera”, as well as publishing several books of his poems.
His many pleasures were canoeing, sailing on his Swedish Vindo, Vara, running, biking, playing Polo, wilderness tripping, sports, ( especially the Red Sox, the New England Patriots and his beloved The Ohio State Buckeyes football team), foreign languages/ foreign travels, publishing (books, articles, interviews), the arts (especially poetry) reading, writing, music (listening and performing).
Peter was devoted to his family, and was lovingly known simply as “Big Daddy.” In the eighth grade he fell in love with Joanne Tobitt, his wife of 63 years who survives him. He leaves behind his son Peter Fox Smith ll, and his wife Grace of New Orleans, Louisiana; his daughter Alice Smith and husband William Pepper Gilbert of Worton, Maryland; his sister Claire McKnight (Bruce) of Livingston, Montana, brother Douglas (Christine) of Bozeman, Montana; grandchildren, Lauren Pierce (Jack), Andrew Smith, William Gilbert, Peter Gilbert and great grandson, Christopher Pierce; sister-in-law Ann Smith of Kensington, N. H. and various nieces and nephews. He was pre deceased by his brother, Stephen, in 2019.
Peter requested no funeral service and that his ashes be scattered to the winds at his cherished Vermont home. A celebration of Peter’s life is pending until a time when friends and family can gather together in North Pomfret.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to cancer research to help eradicate this terrible disease.
Peter’s family wishes to thank all the wonderful nurses and nurses’ aides of the Jack Byrne Palliative Care Center and Bayada Hospice who gave him such compassionate care at the end of his life.
The Cabot Funeral Home of Woodstock, Vermont handled the funeral arrangements. An on line guest book can be found at cabotfh.com