Obituary of A. Peter Quinn, Jr.

A. Peter Quinn, Jr, known as Peter, died on Thursday January 29th in Redding, CT at the age of 91. Born on October 22, 1923 to Margaret Canning and Andrew P. Quinn, he grew up on the East Side of Providence. He graduated from Classical High School and Brown University (class of 1945), where he was a member of the swim team, Psi Upsilon Fraternity and the US Navy ROTC. He attended classes at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI to prepare for his work with torpedoes and SONAR on the destroyer Paul Jones. Following his wartime duty in Cuba and the Caribbean, he completed a law degree at Yale University. He began his legal career in Providence, RI at his father's firm of Letts, Quinn and Leach. During this time he met and married Sara Grace Bullard (known as Sallee) of West Hartford, CT. In 1959 Peter accepted a position with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in Springfield, MA and he and his wife and daughter Emily moved to Longmeadow, MA. During his years at Mass Mutual, Peter became a leader within the company as its General Counsel and Executive Vice President as well as a leader in the life insurance industry. He often stated that he felt lucky to be in a job that he truly enjoyed. Following his retirement in 1988, he became of counsel at the law firm of Day, Berry and Howard (now Day Pitney) in Hartford, CT. After the death of his beloved wife Sallee in 2004, Peter moved to Meadow Ridge in Redding, CT to be closer to his daughter's family in Darien. Throughout his life, Peter was dedicated to his family, friends, work, Brown and Yale Universities and the sport of sailing. As a child and a young man, he spent summers in Jamestown, RI where sailing and racing in Narragansett Bay and various New England waterways was a way of life for his family and friends. An accomplished sailor and navigator, he went on to complete numerous Newport to Bermuda Races and was a member of the New York Yacht Club for more than 50 years. He was also a member of the Longmeadow Country Club, the Colony Club in Springfield, the Hillsboro Club in Florida and the Dunes Club in Narraganset, RI where he spent many wonderful summers by the sea with family and friends. In his later years he became an enthusiastic croquet player so much so that he initiated and helped bring to fruition the construction of a croquet court for his retirement community at Meadow Ridge. Peter leaves behind a daughter, Emily Quinn McDermott of Darien, CT, son-in-law Edward T. McDermott, two granddaughters Elizabeth and Faith McDermott, a beloved younger brother John C. Quinn and many cousins, nephews and other relatives of all ages whom he adored. Funeral services will be held on Thursday February 5th at 11:00 AM at Christ Church in Redding, CT. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Brown University Sports Foundation, 110 Elm Street, Box 1925, Providence, RI 02912. www.lawrencefuneralhome.com Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820