Peter Alwyn Denny

Born on February 23, 1923, in Assakata, Moruca, Barima-Waini (Region 1), British Guiana to Peter Stanislaus Denny and Guillerma Sutherland, Peter’s early life was marked by resilience. After the untimely passing of his mother when he was a little boy, Peter was raised in Georgetown by his father’s sister, his beloved Aunt Florrie, and her husband Uncle Henry until he went to live with his father and stepmother Hyacinth Dyall Denny.

Peter’s academic potential was recognized at a young age and nurtured by the De Caires family, who employed another of his father’s loving sisters, Aunt Addie. They sponsored his education at the prestigious St. Stanislaus Secondary School in Georgetown. Peter’s success there was a source of great pride for his family and set the stage for a lifetime of achievement.

Peter’s professional journey began where his educational one did. Shortly after Peter’s father passed away in January 1943, Father John Marrion of St. Stanislaus (who had been Headmaster there from 1932 to 1941) offered Peter his first teaching position at the school.

This was the start of a distinguished and happy career as a teacher of mathematics.

A dedicated educator, Peter taught at secondary and tertiary institutions for many decades, including (long after his official “retirement”) SUNY MEOC in Harlem, where he continued to inspire adult students who were returning to school, seeking college degrees, with his knowledge and expertise well into his senior years.

At the age of 26, Peter embarked on a new chapter. At the invitation of his father’s cousin, William Sherrill, who operated a thriving real estate business in Harlem, Peter (still known as Alwyn then; Peter was his confirmation name which he chose to be called by once he arrived in the States) left Georgetown for New York City in September 1949 to continue his life’s path and help support his dear stepmother and siblings by way of this new opportunity. The move marked the beginning of a long and storied life in the United States, where he continued his studies at Yeshiva University and the City College of New York while working as an orderly at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, and where he eventually became established as a respected educator and community pillar. In the Brooklyn neighborhood where he lived out the rest of his long years, he was fondly known as “The Professor”.

In late 1960s New York, Peter met the love of his life, Dr. Jeanne Elizabeth Fenner.

They married in April 1969 and had one daughter, Jacqueline, in January 1970.

Beyond the classroom, Peter was a gifted musician and chess player. His mastery and love of the violin was a defining part of his life. He was a proud member of the British Guiana Philharmonic Society orchestra, first violin section, joined at the invitation of founder Dorothy Taitt. His love for music was a gift he shared freely and widely and imparted to his daughter Jackie, personally giving her her first music lessons on the piano and accompanying her on violin.

His skills at chess were no less formidable. His brother Noel relates the time that Peter was playing an impromptu game against a member of the United States Chess Team in New York in the 60s, and just as Peter was about to declare checkmate…the board mysteriously overturned.

Peter’s silent trademark was his selfless nature. He was a steadfast pillar of support for his family, stepping in after his father’s passing to look out for his younger siblings and later in life his daughter Jackie, ensuring they had the foundation to excel and reach their full potential.

His life was a testament to the power of mentorship, education, devotion to God, and the importance of lifting others up. He went to Mass every morning for decades until he no longer could due to having a stroke in September 2017. Prior to that, however, he continued teaching and tutoring students, even as an octogenarian and nonagenarian. Teaching was the essence of who he was, he’d said to his wife Jeanne early on.

Peter Alwyn Denny is survived by a family that will forever carry his lessons of quiet generosity, service, wit, kindness, cheekiness, love of life, and wisdom: wife Dr. Jeanne Fenner Denny, daughter Jacqueline (Jackie) Denny and partner Kent Larsson; stepdaughter Kim Santoro and her daughter; brother Noel Denny, his wife Patricia, and daughters Simone and Noella; niece Joy Harris and her daughters Michelle and Dorothy; nephews Franklin Benjamin, Keith Benjamin, and Chris Benjamin and their families; nephew Paul Douglas and his wife Gail; niece Alexis Douglas; great grandnieces and nephews the Moseley family; goddaughter Mary Ingrid Dyall and family; niece Starr Denny; cousin Jackie La Rose Gomes and family; and countless more nieces, nephews, cousins, and other extended family and friends in Assakata, Georgetown, New York, Georgia, California, Canada, and around the world.

As Peter said to Jeanne as he gave his toast to the table at Christmas, 2020: “I know we can’t have a perfectly happy day, Mommy, but we have to give thanks that we’re alive. To everyone: Wishing the best of everything for you.”