Peter Durdon

Peter Durdon, age 91, of Whitney Point, NY passed away peacefully on December 1st, 2022, at the NYS Veterans Home located in Oxford, NY. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Peter and Anna Durdon, and a sister, Isabelle.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years Patricia Durdon, 3 sons, Michael, of Greene, NY, Peter (Kathi) of Syracuse, NY, and Christopher, of Hillcrest, NY. 4 granddaughters, Jessica, of Raleigh, NC, Laura, of Greene, NY, Alexis, of Hillcrest, NY, and Abigail, of Hillcrest, NY. He is also survived by 2 nieces, Claudia (Skip) Zile of Bethlehem, PA, and Daria (Rick) Hallahan of Bethlehem, PA. Peter is also survived by many close friends.

Peter was born in Johnson City, NY on February 7th, 1931. Upon graduating from high school, he went on to study at SUNY Oswego and graduated with a BS in Industrial Arts Education. Following college, Peter served 4 years in the Army stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Peter then went to work for Vestal Central Schools where he spent 34 years as a junior high metal shop teacher. His students designed and built many projects over the years but one of their favorites was his famous “Beer Can Lamp” project.

He married his wife Patricia in November of 1959, raised three sons and recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.  Peter built his family home with assistance from several friends and would later go on to build the family cottage located at Echo Lake in the town of Smithville, NY. Peter spent many hours “puttering” there and spending time with family and friends. He would often go over to the lake and pound in a nail or two just to give him an excuse to retreat to a place he loved. It was here that many friendships were built over the years. Peter was also one to never pass up a good garage sale or flea market.

Peter loved spending time with his granddaughters, such as picnicking at Dorchester Park. Grandpa never missed a school or sporting event of theirs and was always there to cheer them on.  

A military burial will be held at Maple Grove Cemetery next summer.

The family wishes to thank the NYS Oxford Veterans Home for the wonderful care Peter received during his stay.

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