Peter M. Stuhlsatz

Born in Des Moines, Iowa on October 13, 1942, he was the son of Doris (Woolwine) Stuhlsatz and the late Michel Stuhlsatz. Peter grew up in Sharon, NH and was a graduate of Peterborough High School, followed by service in the United States Army from 1962 to 1965, stationed in Korea, Germany and then Vietnam. He benefitted from the G.I. Bill and graduated from Keene State College in 1972 with a major in English and a minor in Philosophy. However, his real love was working outdoors.

His life’s work was as a dedicated woodsman and logger, involved in land clearing and timber and cordwood harvest through southern New Hampshire for over 30 years. He took pride in delivering firewood as far away as Beacon Hill and to his many loyal customers in the Monadnock Region, driving his distinctive 1941 Ford dump truck and accompanied for many years by his ”good and faithful” German Shepherd, Luke.

He also enjoyed the opportunity for any land clearing job that helped a homeowner achieve a view of Mt. Monadnock or reclaim a field from the woods so that animals could graze. He truly enjoyed the natural beauty of Cheshire County in all seasons.

In addition, he appreciated the community of the town of Roxbury, serving as selectman for many years, as well as on the planning board.

In his semi-retirement, he took pleasure in driving a school bus for nearly ten years. He was also glad of the chance to make many improvements and additions to Roxbury’s original one-room school house, which he and his wife Marika purchased in 1970 and made their home.

He and Marika also had the good fortune to take many memorable trips together, including visits to family in her native Italy and California, bicycle trips in Holland and France, and exploring Paris. With his love of nature and the forest, he particularly enjoyed a trip to the West Coast to see the Redwoods.

Peter is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Marika (Schmutzler) Stuhlsatz, whom he married in the Unitarian Church of Peterborough in 1968.

He also leaves his mother, Doris “Grandma Dodie” Stuhlsatz Weaver, age 99, of Trotwood, Ohio, and his three children: Valerie Rutstein and her husband, Eric Kreitzer, and their two children, Benjamin and Isabel of New York City; Lia Stuhlsatz and her husband, Robert Caron, and their two children, Eva and Peter, or Rumford RI; and David Stuhlsatz and his wife, Elizabeth, of Quincy, MA.

In addition, he leaves a sister, Donna Stuhlsatz Moore, and her husband, Dallas Moore, or Trotwood, Ohio, as well as two dear sisters-in-law: Christina (Schmutzler) Sanguineti of Genoa, Italy, and Claudia Schmutzler of Corona del Mar, California. In addition, he is survived by many cousins throughout the country.

Family and friends will miss his fine character, engaging mind, and generous spirit.

A Gathering of Remembrance will be held at Peter and Marika’s home, 404 Branch Road, Roxbury, on September 1, 2014, with an open house from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM., pot luck lunch at noon, and a Time of Reflection at 2:00 PM.