Peter S. Dayton

Peter S. Dayton

A Celebration of Life for Peter S. Dayton will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 4, 2023 at Garden City Funeral Home, 1705 West Broadway in Missoula, with refreshments to follow. Peter passed away unexpectedly on April 13, 2023 at the age of 69 while on a canoe trip on the Green River in Utah. The official cause of death was acute necrotizing gastritis from consuming foraged morel mushrooms. Peter was born on January 11, 1954 in Princeton, NJ. He grew up in Bozeman, MT, where he enjoyed outdoor activities from a young age with family and friends. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Montana State University in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1981. His law career included working for law firms in Rockford, IL, with John Oitzinger in Helena, MT, and with Mullendore & Tawney, Dayton & Tawney, and Worden Thane PC in Missoula, MT. He was an enthusiastic kayaker, backcountry skier, mountaineer, snowmobiler, hunter, spearfisher, fisherman, bicyclist, hiker, backpacker, and photographer. Left to cherish Peter's memory are Colleen Hunter, his companion and wife of over 36 years, four siblings Barry Dayton (Barbara), Melissa Boyd (Randy), Andrew Dayton, and Beth Dayton (Jeff Jarvi), 8 nephews, 4 nieces, numerous cousins, and an extensive community of family, friends, clients, musicians, and adventurers. His full obituary can be found at https://www.gardencityfh.com/obituaries/peter-dayton.