Peter Edward Pearson

He is survived by his loving wife, Betty Jean (Huttman), and by his children: Karen Driscoll Diorio (Mark) of West Jefferson, North Carolina, Kim Mead (fiancé Brian Johnson) of South Jordon Utah, Keith Begraft of Sparta and Kristen Wolff (Eric) of Frisco TX, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was so very proud of them all and loved them all dearly.

Peter grew up in Branchville, the son of George and Jean (Eagleson) Pearson, who predeceased him along with his brother Allen T. Pearson II. He was a resident of Andover Borough for over 57 years during which time he proudly served the citizens of the town by representing them on both the Andover Regional School Board from 1984 to 1996 and as a town councilman from 2002 to 2022. Peter was a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a BS in accounting who worked as a controller of small companies for many years before becoming certified as a school business administrator and serving area school districts for over 25 years.

Pete spent his final days at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice where he received the very best possible care.

A celebration of life will be held at the Andover Borough Senior Center at a future date. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice, your local school district that is always underfunded or a charity of your choice. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to instead buy a friend a drink, read a good book, hug someone they love, take a small child fishing or all of the above. The late Mr. Pearson wrote this glowing obituary himself and is solely responsible for its content.

“THE DASH”

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on the tombstone

From the beginning...to the end

He noted that first came the date of birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That they spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved them

Know what that little line is worth

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars...the house...the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile,

Remembering this special dash

Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read

With your life's actions to rehash...

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent YOUR dash?

By Linda Ellis, Copyright@2020 Inspire Kindness, thedashpoem.com