Peter Marcus Gould

Peter Marcus Gould was born in Randolph, Vermont on November 17, 1954 and passed away on October 31, 2019 at home in Hopkinton, New Hampshire after a courageous four-year battle with sarcoma. He is survived by his mother, Greta Brandt (Lyle) of Hooksett, New Hampshire; his daughters Lea R. Boenzi (Dean) of Swansea, Illinois and Theresa R. DiPinto (Joseph) of Viera, Florida; his brother Terry R. Gould (Linda) of Claremont, Vermont; his sisters Cheryl Gibeault of Kittery, Maine and Donna Hodgdon of Goffstown, New Hampshire; and his four grandchildren Alysa, Nash, Dominic, and Nova. He was also a proud father figure to former step-daughter Ashley Marquardt of Williamston, New Jersey and Josh Walker, son of longtime partner Natalie Walker - both of Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Peter served in the United States Army assigned to the elite 10th Special Forces Group - achieving the coveted rank of Sergeant Major before retiring after 28 years of service. Ever the humble Soldier committed to the secrecy required of special operations Soldiers, Peter revealed very little to his family and friends over the years about his travels and assignments. We do know he no doubt excelled in those literal worldwide assignments - to include serving on the clandestine “Det A” team in Berlin, Germany during the Cold War (1980-1984) and as a Senior Advisor to the Alaska National Guard’s Eskimo Scout Battalion in Bethel, Alaska in the early 90’s. Following retirement and unwilling to let his years of training and experience go to waste, he continued to support the military as a civilian contractor conducting critical installation force protection assessments across Europe until he’d had enough of the traveling life and headed back home to New Hampshire. After settling down in the Village of Hopkinton, Peter took up an apprenticeship with Hans Jaensch - assisting him with building beautiful custom wood furniture and cabinetry at a remote shop near the Vermont / Canada border from 2009-2011. During the winters, he would help out at Hans’ Christmas Tree Farm - making the hours-long trek back and forth between the farm and home. For those that knew him well, one can only assume the seclusion and scenery helped deepen Peter’s desires to live “on 70 acres in the middle of nowhere.” Looking for his next adventure, Peter joined the Hopkinton Fire Department in 2012. All who knew him knew he would go running any time the radio would indicate an emergency anywhere even remotely close to his location. As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, in 2013 Peter joined the volunteer organization Team Rubicon as a Greyshirt supporting not only local emergencies, but traveling across the country at a moment’s notice to assist with disaster relief efforts like the California wildfires and Hurricane Harvey. Peter’s experience with operational planning, training, and communications were invaluable to Team Rubicon’s mission - earning him the title of Operations Manager for New Hampshire in 2014. His legacy with all of these tremendous organizations is one of selfless service and dedication to duty - Army values that remained steadfast throughout his nearly 65 years of life. Privately, he was a savvy investor and an avid woodworker who built beautiful furniture when he was not renovating homes with his brother. He loved pie, dark beer, and motorcycle rides through the countryside, as well as fostering German Shepherds every chance he could get. An infectiously charming man, Peter chased every opportunity life presented with determination and a “no worries” sense of calm. He was a beloved father, brother, son, partner…and a faithful friend to so many. He will be deeply missed. A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. on December 14, 2019 at the Contoocook Fire Station, 9 Pine Street, Contoocook New Hampshire 03229. All who loved Peter are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Sarcoma Foundation of America in hopes of funding research aimed at finding a cure for this terrible disease.