Peter J. Lellis

Peter was born in Staten Island, New York on the 12th of November 1958, to Alfred W. and Florence R. Lellis as the fourth of eight children. He graduated from Carle Place High School, New York in 1976; received a Bachelor’s Degree in Earth Science from the State University of New York, Stony Brook in 1980; and attended graduate studies in Geophysics at Stanford University in California.

Peter had a long and distinguished career in domestic and international petroleum exploration and production, serving in the positions of geophysicist, exploration team lead and manager, project integration manager, Senior Vice President, and President.

He worked for Conoco Inc., ConocoPhillips, South Korea Exploration & Production, and Carnegie Hudson Resources Energy Partners LLC. During his long and interesting career, he lived in the United States, Norway, Russia, France, and Kazakhstan and was instrumental in developing petroleum fields throughout North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East using his expertise in geophysics, geology, reservoir management, economic forecasting, risk assessment, scenario planning, negotiation, investment, and corporate structure and management.

He finished his career serving as a founding associate, President, and CEO of Advance Energy Partners, an exploration and production company focused on acquisition and low-risk leasing and drilling opportunities. Peter also served roles as an Advisory Member of the Stanford Petroleum Investment Fund and Past Chairman of the Houston Angel Network Energy Group.

Peter lived life to the fullest. In his earlier years, he was a spirited outdoorsman and fisherman, creating many memorable adventures hiking and skiing in the mountains of Europe, fishing in the fjords of Norway, trekking and canoeing in the Canadian wilderness, and tuna fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

He was an avid sports fan, with keen interest in American football, basketball, baseball, golf, and other competitive athletics. He never missed an Olympics, and in his youth was a boxing fan of his favorite heavyweight George Foreman. He maintained an expansive knowledge of the contributions, values, strengths, and weaknesses of a vast array of athletes, and could recite interesting facts about most any player you could mention.

Peter never grew tired of exploring new places, peoples, cultures, foods, and ideas. He had a keen interest in languages, and was able to quickly master basic Spanish, Norwegian, Russian, and French while regularly consulting his etymological dictionary. He listened to an unusually wide genre of music, paying homage to classic American Country and Rock, while adding new types of contemporary music to his playlist such as Hip Hop, Rap, and Pop.

Peter had a great love for good wine and food, was a superb cook himself, and was always open to new gastronomic experiences. He was also keenly interested in governance, economics, and science, particularly physics, and enjoyed stimulating conversations concerning the past, present, or future of most any subject.

Most of all, Peter was a family man who took great pride and care of the people he loved. He was always generous, caring, and concerned, and approached life’s hurdles with a tremendous level of understanding and wisdom about the world.

Peter was preceded in death by his brother Colin and grandson Ethan. He is survived by his wife Nely; children Christopher, Ryan, Justin, Anna, and Masha; and granddaughter Riley. He is also survived by his parents Alfred and Florence; and six siblings Jennette, Susan, William, Eric, Marjorie, and Beth.

A private memorial service will be held in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis and Sons.