Peter Sterling Conover

The Conover family is saddened to announce the passing of their beloved patriarch, Peter Sterling Conover, who peacefully passed away on February 5, 2025 in Edgewater, Florida, at the age of 94. In his final days, Peter was surrounded by the love of his devoted wife of 42 years, Paula Conover, and their seven children, who cherished the time they were able to share with him in his final days. Peter was born on January 4, 1931 to Charles and Helena (Weil) Conover in Orange, New Jersey. Peter and his sister Jaye grew up in New Jersey and New York City. He graduated from the Kent School in Connecticut in 1949, and received a BA in Psychology from Cornell University in 1953. He worked as an ocean lifeguard at the Jersey Shore during the summer in his college years. After his graduation from Cornell, Peter joined the United States Air Force as Second Lieutenant. After Air Base Defense School in California, he began his service at Osan Air Base in South Korea, serving as security officer for the 502 Tactical Control Group. His next post was at Komaki Air Base near Nagoya, Japan where he ran a military prison. In 1956, he transferred to the 48th Fighter Bomber Wing in Chaumont, France. Peter was the commander of the 48th Air Police Squadron and Provost Marshal for most of his three year stay there where he received the Air Force Commendation Medal for meritorious service. In 1959, he was promoted to Captain and served at Vance AFB, Sheppard AFB and Vandenberg AFB in the United States. At Vandenberg AFB he served as the Combat Crew Commander, where he trained other crews. He was also chosen to take part in the first military launch of the Titan II missle. After resigning from the Air Force in 1964, he worked as a manager at Pfizer in San Diego and Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ. At Johnson & Johnson he worked as a sales promotion manager and later as a product marketing manager in the Permacel Division. Peter was instrumental in bringing sales training to wholesale personnel around the nation via the Permacel Express. He did so by acquiring and renovating three railroad cars, hiring personnel to travel across the country and providing administration for the project. In 1973, having had enough with the business world, Peter moved to Jay, Vermont to own and operate a small ski lodge, the Woodshed Lodge. There he met and married his third wife and the love of his life, Paula Jane Austin. They ran the lodge together for 10 years. In 1993, Paula and Peter sold the lodge and designed and built a home by the Jay Branch brook in Jay. In 1994, they started spending winters in Edgewater, Florida and summers in Vermont, where they were both employed part time to support their retirement lifestyle. They moved from Jay into a summer cottage overlooking Lake Memphremagog in Newport in 2001. In retirement, Peter was an active volunteer for the AARP Tax Preparation program. He also volunteered for the Edgewater Police Department where he provided direct police assistance. He also ran a program to pre-place identification information in readily available form so that those with dementia, Alzheimer's and autism could be quickly and safely returned to their loved ones should they become lost or confused. Peter received a special citation from the city of Edgewater for his work in this program. Peter's greatest joy in life was his love for his wife Paula who selflessly cared for him as he advanced in years. He was very proud of his military service. In retirement, he enjoyed spending time with family, researching his genealogy, walking daily and the companionship of his dogs, especially his golden retriever, Mandy. Peter is survived by his wife, Paula Jane Conover of Edgewater, FL and Newport, VT, his seven surviving children Kirsten Conover, Bruce Conover (Nancy Leung,) Stacy Conover, Sharon Morin, Tracey Stibolt (Richard Stibolt,) Lori Parenteau (Scott Parenteau) and Rachel Conover Loreto (Jim Loreto.) Peter leaves behind his niece Shelley Haas, 15 grandchildren: Danielle, D'Andre, Phillip, Devin, Donovan, Misha, Chantal, Ashley, Melissa, Chris, Todd, Jaden, Nicholas, Mary, and Peter and 13 great grandchildren. Peter was predeceased by his father and mother, sister Jaye Haas and her husband Herb, his daughter Jennifer Roy, nephew Peter Haas, grandchild Cody Skinner and sons in law, Terry Burdick, Rene Cote, David Walker and Michael Morin. A memorial service and burial will be held in Newport, VT in the summer 2025. Date and time is still TBD.