Col. (Ret.) James Wyatt Peck

James Wyatt Peck of Grasonville, MD, passed away suddenly on November 07, 2016. He was 79. Born on December 25, 1936 in Clinton, MO, the son of the late Wyatt N. and Pauline M. (Cole) Peck, Jim grew up in Clinton, learned to play golf as a boy, spent summers working as a fishing guide at his parents fishing lodge in Canada, and graduated as the valedictorian from Clinton High School. A proud graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (Class of 1958), he served for over 25 years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until January of 1984, when he retired as a Colonel. While in the Army, he served in Korea in 1960 and in Vietnam in 1965, earned a Masters degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois, taught Civil Engineering at West Point, served as the Deputy District Engineer in Kansas City, served as the Battalion Commander of the 9th Engineer Battalion (Combat) in Aschaffenburg, Germany, and served as Commander and District Engineer in Baltimore during which he managed water resource development and environmental protection in the Susquehanna Potomac and Patuxent river basins and the Chesapeake Bay. Jim was committed to preserving and enhancing environmental values, and after retiring from the U.S. Army he worked for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources from 1983 to 1995 as Director Water Resources Administration and then Assistant Secretary. Following that, he became the Director of Maryland Environmental Services, a non-profit public organization. From 1995 until he retired in 2003, Jim accomplished numerous innovative environmental projects that benefited many communities in Maryland. Jim met his wife-to-be on a blind date while stationed at Fort Riley when he was 22 years old, and it was love at first sight for both of them. They were married less than six months after they met, on December 20, 1959. There was nothing on the planet that made Jim happier than being married to MaryRuth. During their 53-year marriage, they raised three successful and happy children, and did almost everything together. After their nest was empty, MaryRuth learned how to play golf and they spent the next 30 years playing golf together at their home in Prospect Bay Country Club and at many courses all around the country. They also love going to the annual West Point Class of ‘58 reunions, they enjoyed their Orioles and Ravens season tickets, and went on many cruises and other adventures. They never tired of being together. A little over a year after MaryRuth passed away following a 5-year battle with cancer, Jim had the miraculous good fortune of meeting Susan Miller of Annapolis, MD, and falling in love for the second time in his life. Jim and Susan also loved adventures, from a cruise to New Zealand to art history classes to attending many plays and shows in Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC. James is survived by his three children, Dan (and his wife Susan and their children, Madeline and Wyatt), of Lafayette, CO; Debbie Brown (and her children Prescott, Rachel, Clara, and Spencer Brown) of Portland, ME; and Jim (and his wife Cristin and their son Graham) of Ocean City, MD , as well as many friends, most especially his second love, Susan Miller. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 53 years MaryRuth Peck, as well as his two brothers, Bob and Bill Peck of Springfield, MO. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 from 5 to 7pm at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. in Chester, MD. Burial will be on Tuesday November 29, 2016 at 10:00 AM in West Point Cemetery at West Point, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund at www.fallenheroesfund.org

Col. (Ret.) James Wyatt Peck

December 25, 1936 - November 7, 2016