Peter Lebetkin,
Educational Director for the American Lighthouse Foundation, has
succumbed to cancer, which, as many of you know, he has been battling
for a number of years. Peter was a great lover of lighthouses and the
history associated with them. Peter was a schoolteacher who loved
working with kids. He served as a
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Peter Lebetkin (left) stands with ALF
President Tim Harrison during a day he volunteered
in the Museum of Lighthouse
History.
docent
in the Museum of Lighthouse History in Wells, Maine, the Educational
Director of the American Lighthouse Foundation and Copy Editor of Lighthouse
Digest magazine. He had been working on several projects for educating
children about lighthouses, now unfinished, which we hope to complete.
Recently, he had taken a downward turn, but was still able to make it to the
Grand Opening of the Museum of Lighthouse History on August 7, 2005. People
like Peter are hard to replace and we will miss him dearly.
Sympathy cards can be sent to Gloria
Lebetkin, 5 Litchfield Dr., Simsbury, CT 06070-1268
The
following notice was published in the Hartford Courant on 10/3/2005...
Peter Lebetkin
LEBETKIN, Peter
Peter Lebetkin, 58, of Simsbury, died Sunday, (October 2, 2005) with his
family by his side after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the beloved
husband for 34 years of Gloria (Kern) Lebetkin. Born in Hartford he was the
son of George and Carolyn
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Peter Lebetkin (right) volunteered to
help staff ALF tables at the Museum of Lighthouse History's grand
opening on August 7, 2005
(Burstein)
Lebetkin of West Hartford. Peter was a graduate of Conard High School
('65), Central Connecticut State University ('69) with an English
Degree, a Masters Degree from Trinity College in English ('72), a sixth
year Advanced Studies Degree in Reading from Central ('75) and a
PhD from UCONN ('82) in Curriculum Development.
He
was an English teacher for five years in New London High School and then 31
years as a reading consultant for the Town of Farmington. Peter and Gloria
are members of the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation - Emek Shalom, in
Simsbury. For over 25 years he was an instructor for Bar and Bat Mitzvah
students there and then became Principal of its religious school. He was a
volunteer with the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Department for over 20 years and
became an honorary life member. He was an Editor of the Kids on the Beam
Magazine and Copy Editor for the Lighthouse Digest both of Maine. His family
was always proud of his being the first member of the family to achieve
advanced educational degrees. Peter was proud of his involvement over many
years in the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program, developing young
inner-city talented middle school children. Besides his wife Gloria and his
parents he is survived by a son Kenneth and his wife Heather Lebetkin of
Rutland, MA; a daughter Amy Lebetkin of Somersworth, NH; a brother Glen
Lebetkin and his wife Harriet of Danbury; mother-in-law Ernestine Kern of
Bridgeport and dear nieces Lisa, Rachel, Danielle, Nancy and a
brother-in-law Irv and his wife Andrea Kern of Fairfield. A funeral service
will be held TODAY, October 3 at the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation,
55 Bushy Hill Rd., Simsbury at 1 p.m. with Rabbi Howard Herman officiating.
Interment will follow at the congregation cemetery, Mountainview Ave., Avon.
Due to the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah there will be no shiva. The
family will receive friends on Thursday, October 6 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at
Peter and Gloria's home. Donations in his honor may be made to the
Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation, the Harry Gray Cancer Center, 85
Retreat Ave., Hartford or to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney
Street, Boston, MA 02115. Funeral arrangements provided by the Hebrew
Funeral Association, Inc., 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford.
