George G. Peery III

George Gose “Skip” Peery, III, resident of New Bern, NC, passed away suddenly but peacefully at Duke Raleigh Hospital in Raleigh NC on March 23, 2015, after several years of declining health. He was 71.

Skip was born in Roanoke, VA to the late George G. Peery, Jr. and Bette Montgomery Peery of Salem, VA. The son of a career Navy officer, Skip grew up in Virginia and California before graduating from Rogers High School in Newport, RI in 1962. A National Merit Scholar and Eagle Scout, he received one of only 22 presidential appointments to the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY made by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from USMA in 1966, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. In 1974 he earned a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, followed by a three-year assignment as an Associate Professor of mathematics at USMA. He was a graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, VA in 1981.

Skip’s Army career included two combat tours in Vietnam (1967-68 and 1970-71) and two tours in West Germany at Stuttgart (1968-70), Heidelberg (1977) and Dexheim (1978-80). He served several tours of duty on the Army General Staff at the Pentagon. Skip retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1988, and then worked for the Department of the Army’s Concepts Analysis Agency until his second retirement in 1999.

A life-long athlete, Skip enjoyed tennis, running, sailing and canoeing. He was a keen runner and competed in many races and marathons in both the U.S. and West Germany. He was known for being an avid reader and music lover and could often be found sitting in his favorite chair reading a book with Mozart or Coltrane quietly playing in the background. Skip also had a soft spot for dogs; Taffy, Peaches and Julie brought much joy to his life over the years.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Mollie F. Peery, whom he married after a whirlwind six-month courtship; son David M. Peery and daughter-in-law, Mary, of Little Rock, AR; daughter Jennifer Peery Stevens of Richmond, VA; three grandchildren, Jacob, Emily and Noah Peery, all of Little Rock, AR; and his sister, Bette Peery Ries and brother-in-law Stephen Ries of Virginia Beach, VA.

“And when our work is done, Our course on earth is run, May it be said, 'Well Done; Be Thou At Peace.'” (from West Point Alma Mater)

LTC Peery will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Wounded Warrior Project or a charity of your choosing.

Arrangements by Cotten Funeral Home of New Bern, NC. Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at: www.cottenfuneralhome.com.