Peter L. Dionne ’58

Peter L. Dionne ’58 died on March 27, 2018, in Augusta, Maine.

(The following appeared online at plummerfh.com in March 2018):

Peter L. Dionne, 81, died unexpectedly at home on March 27, 2018.

Born in Lewiston, Maine in 1936 to Muriel (Jo) Ayer and Donatien Dionne, Peter grew up on Webster Street with his younger brother Andre. He graduated from Lewiston High School in 1954 and moved on to Bowdoin College, where he joined Sigma Nu fraternity and continued his high school sports of track and football, leaving Bowdoin at graduation in 1958 with a math degree, football-injured knees, and friendships that would be lifelong.

On August 2, 1958, he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Mary Frances Lawlor. They would have celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary this coming August.

He was a dedicated teacher for over fifty years. He taught math in several places: at Edward Little High School in Auburn, through a distance education pilot program for the State of Maine and in Needham, MA, after getting his master’s at Boston College, eventually making his way to Cony High School, where he stayed for seventeen years as head of the math department and then assistant principal. He left Cony for UMA, where he taught math and computer programming for several decades. He also served on the Augusta School Board for several years. After retirement, he continued teaching through volunteer work in the Augusta schools.

Peter continued his passions for sports and music throughout his life. He was a football referee for twenty-five years, and loved watching the Patriots and the Red Sox, including their most recent game this past weekend. He also loved music, especially jazz and big band. He played trombone, participating in several local and regional music groups, as well as a folk music Mass group at St. Mary’s Church and several jazz bands, and played jazz trombone at his daughter’s wedding in 2001.

More even than music and sports, Peter loved his wife Mary, his two children Catherine (Kate) of Auburn, ME, and Martin of Hallowell, ME, and his four grandchildren, Kieran, Keridwen, Connor, and Riley. From digging worms with them to posing them math problems to helping them in and out of their winter gear, he was a wonderful grandfather. As well as his wife, kids, and grandkids, he is also survived by his brother Andre Dionne and his wife Kathy of New York, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bill and Julie Lawlor of Freeport, ME, his daughter-in-law Lara (Crocker) Dionne, and his son-in-law Greg Tulonen.

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