Peter L. Daniels, 82, of Southport, Maine, died suddenly of natural causes in his home on Dec. 23, 2021.

Peter was born to Jason and Alice Daniels on Oct. 28, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Norwood, Medfield, and Newton, Massachusetts, with his parents and sister, Jean. During this time, the Daniels family spent summers in Southport, where Peter worked as a dock boy at Brewer’s Boat Yard and as a pin-setter for Gussie Pratt’s bowling alley next to the Southport Yacht Club. He attended high school at Milton Academy, where he played baseball and where Donald Duncan taught him algebra. He then attended Middlebury College, where he was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, and where he met his wife, Joan.

Peter and Joan married on May 4, 1963, and lived early on in the South End of Boston, Massachusetts, where all three of their children – Christopher, Katherine, and Michael – were born, before moving to Melrose, Massachusetts, in 1977. In Melrose, Peter worked for many years as a real estate appraiser, then also as the tax assessor for the City of Melrose. Throughout their youth, Peter was very involved in his kids’ activities: Little League, ballet, soccer, color guard, football, etc., a tradition that continued in recent years with his grandchildren. Peter was incredibly selfless; he always put the needs of others above his own, as evidenced by the many dogs he and Joan rescued from shelters to whom they gave loving homes over the years.

In 2002, Peter and Joan retired to Rockland, Maine; they then moved to Southport in 2006. Throughout, Peter never fully retired, continuing his real estate appraisal business along the Midcoast of Maine for many more years. Recently, Peter enjoyed volunteering at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, walking dogs up and down Paradise Lane, and gathering with family on a good summer porch, be it Good Cheer, High Rock, or his own. He was a passionate fan of the Boston sports teams, especially the New England Patriots, and he enjoyed chatting with everyone he came across, whether he knew them or not.

Peter’s love of being on the water, particularly the Sheepscot River, spanned his entire life, from his earliest days in the SYC, to his fishing boat in Boston Harbor, to his Pursuit out of Boothbay, to the various craft of his nephews, Peter, Rob, and John Hawley.

Peter is survived by his wife, Joan Daniels of Southport; daughter Katherine Daniels of Burlington, Vermont; son Michael Daniels, daughter-in-law Elizabeth Daniels, and grandchildren Claire and Nathan Daniels of Westwood, Massachusetts; daughter-in-law Shannon Daniels and grandson Brendan Daniels of Parker, Colorado; sister Jean Hawley and brother-in-law Charles “Bud” Hawley of Southport; among other extended family members.

He was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Daniels of Parker, Colorado.

A private memorial service will be held at a future date.

To extend online condolences, please visit hallfuneralhome.com.