Peter E. Tenney
Brunswick, ME – Peter E. Tenney died on September 16, 2025, following
a long illness. Peter was born in Boston, MA, on April 30, 1948, and
grew up in Milton, MA, with summers spent in Castine, ME. He graduated
from the University of Virginia in 1971 with a degree in English.
Peter embarked on a teaching career, first at the Moses Brown School
in Providence, RI (1976-1993), and later at Crossroads Academy in
Lyme, NH (1994-2017), teaching diverse global history to students of
many ages. He developed a reputation as a thoughtful and creative
teacher, and his students benefited from his skills in effective
pedagogy. Since his retirement in 2017, Crossroads Academy students
honor Peter with a monthly “Tenney Tie Day”, recognizing Peter’s habit
of always wearing a bow tie.
In 2002, Peter met Alexandra (Alix) Howell, a researcher at the VA
Medical Center in White River Junction, VT, and they married in 2004.
After Peter’s retirement, they moved to Brunswick, ME, to be closer to
his beloved hometown of Castine. Peter was excited to find that the
Joshua Chamberlain Museum was only a few doors away, where he became a
docent to continue his passion of teaching history.
Peter’s determination to enjoy his life in retirement, despite his
illness, led to many happy times with family and friends, marked this
summer by playing a round of golf in the annual family golf
tournament, and enjoying a reunion with old friends in Castine just
days before his passing.
Peter leaves his wife of 21 years, Alexandra Howell; her children
Cameron (Christy), Nathan (Rebecca, and grandson Bryson), and Caroline
(Tim); his brothers-in-law Nicholas Levintow, Christopher Levintow,
and Anthony Levintow; his brothers David (Catherine), Donald (Marty),
and Bradford (Laurie); nieces Sarah Stammen (Jeff), Leah Keating
(Eamon), Lauren Flewelling; great-nephews Alden Stammen and Miles
Keating; and great-nieces Haddie Keating, Seraphina Flewelling, and
Aurora Flewelling. There will be a private interment in Castine this
fall, with a celebration of Peter’s life in late July, 2026, in
Castine, ME. Donations in Peter’s memory to support the Joshua
Chamberlain Museum may be made to the Pejepscot History Center, 159
Park Row, Brunswick, ME 04011 (pejepscothistorical.org).