Obituary for Peter Vale
Peter Vale of Wakefield, Massachusetts, died May 13 while recovering from heart surgery. He is survived by his brother, Albert and his wife Karen of New Ipswich, NH, his nephew Corey and his wife Quiana, and grandniece and nephew Mya Vale and Tyce Collins. Beloved husband of the late Fay Kaminsky Vale for more than 50 years, Peter leaves behind three feline companions, Munchie, Florence, and Pam.
Peter was also very close with his cousins, they often shared zoom meeting get togethers. He would be in a big leather chair with his cat (Florence) lying on the top of it behind his head.
Peter was born in Malden, MA, on March 31, 1946 to the late George and Marion Vale. After marrying his school sweetheart, Fay, he served in the U.S. Navy for three years as LTJG. Peter earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Computer Science) from MIT in 1967, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland in 1972. He developed system software for CAD/CAM products at Schlumberger Technologies, was a systems architect on an enhanced full text retrieval system at Lotus Development, and worked as a principal consultant at Interleaf. Peter retired from Fidelity Investments as a Vice President, Architecture, in 2008.
Peter and Fay dedicated their lives to studying, enjoying, and conserving birds. On their anniversary, Peter wrote in Facebook, “I can’t believe that 50 years ago today Fay and I got married. After 9 cats, 20 countries, too many surgeries, 3500 bird species, between 1000 and 2000 pizzas, we’re still best friends and birding partners.”
They led countless walks for the Brookline Bird Club, and were among the first BBC trip leaders to use Family Radio Service (FRS) radios, sharing sightings when splitting large groups in Mount Auburn and Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. For at least 40 years, Fay and Peter coordinated the Melrose sector for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, always enjoying the compilation, especially when their species count topped Marj Rines’. They also assisted at the Massachusetts Audubon Joppa bird banding station. After retirement, Peter completed the massive task of converting the entire Bird Observer records database to eBird digital records.
Fay and Peter were Huntington Theater subscribers and enjoyed West End shows when visiting London before they were birders. Peter favored folk and bluegrass groups like Red Molly and Nickel Creek, and listened to WUMB or the weekly Grateful Dead concert on satellite radio on long drives. Friends recall joining the Vales at Stellina or The Chateau for Friday night dinners to talk birding and current events. While quiet and steady in the field, Peter opened up on these occasions, treating all to flashes of his subtle humor.
Although he focused primarily on local birds, Peter birded all over the world. Friends fondly recall his joy in the bow of the boat on a Pantanal cruise, sipping a caipirinha through nonstop flights of parrots and herons, and his excitement at visiting mountain gorillas in Uganda. On his last birthday, he spent the morning birding in Corkscrew Swamp, then had chocolate cake from the Bubble Room on Captiva Island.
Memorial donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, World Animal Protection, or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life is planned and will be announced here.
There will be a celebration of life/burial at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Ma. on Thursday June 29, 2023 at 11am.
Anyone that cannot attend and would like to have something read, please email:
Linda Ferraresso at: tattler1@comcast.net
Jane Lothian at: janelothian2@gmail.com or
Al Vale at: avale426@msn.com
To access the livestream, please select the link below:
https://360xstream.com/event/burial-service-for-peter-vale
Peter was also very close with his cousins, they often shared zoom meeting get togethers. He would be in a big leather chair with his cat (Florence) lying on the top of it behind his head.
Peter was born in Malden, MA, on March 31, 1946 to the late George and Marion Vale. After marrying his school sweetheart, Fay, he served in the U.S. Navy for three years as LTJG. Peter earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Computer Science) from MIT in 1967, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland in 1972. He developed system software for CAD/CAM products at Schlumberger Technologies, was a systems architect on an enhanced full text retrieval system at Lotus Development, and worked as a principal consultant at Interleaf. Peter retired from Fidelity Investments as a Vice President, Architecture, in 2008.
Peter and Fay dedicated their lives to studying, enjoying, and conserving birds. On their anniversary, Peter wrote in Facebook, “I can’t believe that 50 years ago today Fay and I got married. After 9 cats, 20 countries, too many surgeries, 3500 bird species, between 1000 and 2000 pizzas, we’re still best friends and birding partners.”
They led countless walks for the Brookline Bird Club, and were among the first BBC trip leaders to use Family Radio Service (FRS) radios, sharing sightings when splitting large groups in Mount Auburn and Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. For at least 40 years, Fay and Peter coordinated the Melrose sector for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, always enjoying the compilation, especially when their species count topped Marj Rines’. They also assisted at the Massachusetts Audubon Joppa bird banding station. After retirement, Peter completed the massive task of converting the entire Bird Observer records database to eBird digital records.
Fay and Peter were Huntington Theater subscribers and enjoyed West End shows when visiting London before they were birders. Peter favored folk and bluegrass groups like Red Molly and Nickel Creek, and listened to WUMB or the weekly Grateful Dead concert on satellite radio on long drives. Friends recall joining the Vales at Stellina or The Chateau for Friday night dinners to talk birding and current events. While quiet and steady in the field, Peter opened up on these occasions, treating all to flashes of his subtle humor.
Although he focused primarily on local birds, Peter birded all over the world. Friends fondly recall his joy in the bow of the boat on a Pantanal cruise, sipping a caipirinha through nonstop flights of parrots and herons, and his excitement at visiting mountain gorillas in Uganda. On his last birthday, he spent the morning birding in Corkscrew Swamp, then had chocolate cake from the Bubble Room on Captiva Island.
Memorial donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, World Animal Protection, or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life is planned and will be announced here.
There will be a celebration of life/burial at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Ma. on Thursday June 29, 2023 at 11am.
Anyone that cannot attend and would like to have something read, please email:
Linda Ferraresso at: tattler1@comcast.net
Jane Lothian at: janelothian2@gmail.com or
Al Vale at: avale426@msn.com
To access the livestream, please select the link below:
https://360xstream.com/event/burial-service-for-peter-vale