Peter Lee Minotti

Peter Lee Minotti passed away peacefully at the age of 89 on January 31, 2025 at Bay Village of Sarasota, FL following complications from Parkinson’s Disease. He was comforted by his wife and children at the time of his passing.

Peter is survived by his wife and best friend of 62 years, Lucille (Gamelin) Minotti; his two sisters, Susan LaDue of Jacksonville, FL, and Martha Eddy of Randolph, VT; his two children, Peter Lee Minotti Jr. (Puja) of NJ, and Michelle Campbell (David) of CA; as well as three grandchildren who will miss him dearly - Jennifer Campbell (Arash), Calvin Campbell (Lindsay) and Mira Minotti. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Rita Moffett of West Palm Beach and Doris Gamelin Broker (Rod) of Leesburg, FL.

Born to Ernest and Delphine (Baker) Minotti in Burlington, VT on August 20, 1935, Peter grew up fishing, hunting and skiing. He developed an early love of music, initially learning harmonica, then progressing to bass fiddle, the piano, and his favorite of all, the trumpet.

Peter graduated from Burlington High School in 1953 and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont in 1957. After participating in the ROTC program at UVM, Peter served as a lieutenant in the US Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960 with stations in Quantico, VA, Okinawa (Japan), and Cherry Point, NC. After completing military service he returned to UVM, completing a Masters in Science in Agronomy in 1962.

While working in the research labs at UVM, Peter met an employee of the university who would soon become his father-in-law. Under the guise of showing Peter his garden, Lucille’s father knew that Peter couldn’t help but admire his daughter, Lucille, as well. Their first meeting was a great success, eventually culminating in marriage one year later on June 30th, 1962.

Peter and Lucille moved to North Carolina, where they had their first child (Peter Jr) and where Peter earned his PhD in Soil Sciences from NC State University in 1965.

Shortly after, Peter and his new family moved to the suburbs of Chicago, IL where he began his initial career as a crop physiologist at IMC Corp.

A few years later he took a new job as Professor of Plant Science at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where they had a second child (Michelle) and lived happily for 30 years. When not teaching graduate students or conducting research in the Cornell greenhouses or farms, Peter was often ice skating at Lynah Rink, cross country skiing in the hills, or sharing a picnic with Lucille and family at one of the many state parks in Ithaca. He also enjoyed sailing his Sunfish on Lake Cayuga and driving his Honda motorcycle around town. He enjoyed many interests outside of work including bowling, tennis, and hunting, though his favorite hobby continued to be playing the trumpet. Peter was a terrific handyman around the house and yard. He often conceded he was a jack of all trades but master of none.

After retiring from a 30-year career at Cornell University, Peter and Lucille moved to Sarasota, FL in 1997. He quickly became an active community member, participating in the Rotary Club, the Sarasota and Venice Concert Bands, and the St. Thomas More Church Choir. Peter and Lucille would spend their summers with family on Lake Champlain in Colchester, VT. Peter and Lucille were lucky enough to travel to many countries in their retirement, seeing parts of the world that they would later call life-changing. Their travels included China, Russia, South America, Alaska, as well as most of Europe.

Peter was an understated man who was humble about his accomplishments. Importantly, he had a strong sense of empathy and was always rooting for the underdog. He was kind and compassionate towards others, while having a playful sense of humor. He will be deeply missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, February 10, 2025 at 10:00am at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Sarasota, FL with a light reception to follow. Internment with military honors will take place in Sarasota National Cemetery at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to your local Salvation Army or to Doctors Without Borders.