Peter Laurent Obituary

Peter Gerard Laurent

Colrain, MA - Peter Gerard Laurent, 62, of Colrain, MA, passed away at home on Sunday, September 24, 2023 after living with pancreatic cancer for 22 months. He lived his life to the fullest every day, and felt a profound connection to New England and the community here. Peter will be deeply missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Peter was born on March 8, 1961, son of John Laurent and Elizabeth (Ward) Laurent in Pittsfield, MA. He is survived by his wife, Lisbeth (Hall) Laurent; his three daughters and sons-in-law, Iris Laurent and Andrew McSweeney; Molly (Collins) and Jesse Morgan and their children Maeve, Jack and Leo; and Emily (Collins) and Danny Gibbons. Likewise, Peter will be missed by his two brothers, Jack and Tom, as well as his sister, Mary and her husband John. He also leaves behind many beloved nieces, nephews, and their children.

After Peter graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1979, he went on to receive his Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education at Antioch University in Keene, NH. He later began a twenty-six year career as a teacher at the University of Massachusetts Center for Early Education and Care in Amherst. Peter's skill and talent as an educator lives on in all the people he supported through their early childhood.

In 1991, Peter reconnected with Lisbeth outside of 10 Bridge Street in Shelburne Falls. They married the following year and completed their family of five with the birth of their daughter, Iris, in 1993. For the past 31 years they lived in Colrain, most recently with their two standard poodles, Mim and Fern. Peter and Lis enjoyed traveling the country by camper van, bird watching along the coast, and listening to live music, especially at the yearly Green River Festival, where Peter often volunteered.

Peter was an avid hiker who spent as much time in the woods as possible. In 1988, Jambo Steppin' Pete thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, northbound, from Georgia to Maine in just four months. This was only the beginning of his lifelong love of the mountains. One of his greatest joys in life was to introduce others to the magic of the outdoors. He looked forward to annual "guy hikes" with his closest friends and hiking thirty-one of the forty-eight 4,000 footers in New Hampshire with his daughter, Iris. If you ever had the chance to pass Peter on the trail, you would have heard him humming a tune or looking for the moss covered rocks with ferns growing out of them. Peter was the most vibrant version of himself on the trail.

Peter is predeceased by John and Elizabeth Laurent, Timothy Laurent, and Andrew Laurent.

Per his wishes, Peter will be honored with a celebration of life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cancer Connection, Franklin Land Trust, or Vermont Food Bank, organizations Peter was dedicated to supporting.