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Peter C. Polhamus - Class of 1965

Submitted by Bill Norvell 1965 <w.norvell@att.net> on 24/Apr/2024
184.88.213.148

    Peter C. Polhamus, 76, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and West Orange, NJ, died Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by his loving family. Pete was born in Newburgh, NY, graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in engineering, and started his career at IBM in manufacturing and sales. He was married for 55 years to his wife, Sally, had two sons and 4 granddaughters. In 1986 he returned to Newburgh NY to run Newburgh Molded Products, a company developed by his father-in-law, Malcolm Nelson. While in Newburgh, Pete was active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Powelton Club. During his later years, he and his wife spent winters at the Cove Beach Club in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where they made many friends.

An exceptional athlete, Pete spent his life playing many different sports and excelled in those he was most passionate about. He had a lifetime love of golf, starting as a caddy at the Powelton Club in Newburgh, NY and working his way up to become club champion at the same club decades later; one of his proudest moments. He also loved tennis, playing at his club and with his family at their court on Balmville Road. An avid car enthusiast, Pete loved driving and experiencing different types of cars; owning dozens of interesting and significant vehicles, some of which he raced. His love of cars was shared with friends and instilled in his sons, who to this day remain passionate car guys. Pete was an aviation enthusiast and a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, becoming a pilot and then an aircraft owner who loved to fly around his native state of NY. As a skier, he spent countless weekends in the 80’s and 90’s with his sons on mountains in NY, Vermont, and Utah; building a love of winter sports in his sons that continues almost 40 years later. His engineering background and exposure to his father’s carpentry in his youth meant he was always building or fixing something around the house; another trait he passed along to his family.

Besides his wife, Pete is survived by sons Matthew and his wife, Melissa of West Orange NJ, and Jonathan and his wife, Tracie, of Pewaukee WI; four granddaughters, Lucy and Mia in New Jersey and Ava and Matilda in Wisconsin; one brother, James Polhamus and his husband James Beard of Newburgh, NY; one sister-in-law, Susan Carlstrom, of Newburgh, NY, and her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his father, William Polhamus, his mother, Janet Dailey Polhamus; his father-in-law, Malcolm Nelson and mother-in-law, Lucile Nelson; and his brother-in-law, Charles Carlstrom.

A celebration of life will be held in the early summer in Newburgh, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Sharing Network Foundation, an organ donor organization in NJ. Donations may be made on line at www.SharingNetworkFoundation.org/Contribute or via mail. to: Sharing Network Foundation, 691 Central Avenue, New Providence, NJ. 07974.