PETER BLANCHARD

1951 - 2022

BLANCHARD--Peter Parrott, III, completed his life's journey on August 7th in his Manhattan home with his wife, Sofia and son, Theo by his side. The son of Peter P. Blanchard, Jr. and Adelaide Frick Blanchard, Peter lived his life with integrity, kindness and purpose. His humor and irreverence were never far from the surface. His deep passion for nature and all its creatures led him to be a tireless advocate and supporter of land conservation from the coast of Maine to New Jersey to the Caribbean. He was an elegant writer, a prolific reader, a poetry lover and a landscape painter. He was most at home in the woods or at his beloved home in Maine, but when necessary he donned a tuxedo (or the "Iron Maiden" as he called it) to support the causes he championed. Born in 1951 in Manhattan, he received his undergraduate degree from Princeton, going on to earn Master degrees from the Yale School of Forestry and Teachers College, Columbia University. Early in his career, Peter taught biology at The Chapin School, The Masters School and Hardwood Island. He served for many years and until his passing on the Boards of The Frick Collection, the Helen Clay Frick Foundation and Greenwood Gardens, the New Jersey estate where he grew up, and which he and his wife worked tirelessly with others to transform into a magnificent public garden. He also served as a Council member of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Peter married late, and never expected the life he found with Sofia and the pride he felt for Theo. He will be deeply missed by all whose lives he touched. His beloved corgi, Ginnie, will miss him too. Peter believed in signs of nature as omens. We will be looking for him. Instead of flowers, please remember him by an act of kindness to others. Donations in his memory can be made to Greenwood Gardens or The Frick Collection. A memorial service will be held at a later time.