Charles Clyde Peck

" One day during his last weeks at Baystate, his doctor asked him if he preferred to be called "Dr. Peck" or "Clyde." Talking was difficult, but he managed to reply, "Dad." Nothing was more precious to him than his kids, and no role more gratifying. His early years were spent in a little town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in a house that was home to the grandmas as well as his parents and siblings. Laurel Abram Peck and Sarah Dorothy Hill Peck were his parents, and John, Alan, and Sarah Alice were his siblings. Years later, after earning a PhD in Physics from the University of Michigan in 1962, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky with his wife, Julie, his toddler daughter, Sarah Catherine, and his six-day-old son Charles Clyde ("Chad"). Caroline arrived a little later. IBM moved the family from state to state during the 20+ years the kids were growing up. Clyde was an excellent cook, and enjoyed preparing elegant meals and regional dishes over the decades, much to the delight of friends and family. He had treasured memories of good times spent with friends met during those years, dear friends still today. He and his buddies loved fishing, whether at the ocean, on the lake, or in the swamps of South Carolina, although he rarely caught anything. At the end, he had the opportunity to say good-bye to Chad and wife Lori, Sarah, Julie, and his granddaughters Sarah, Katie, Abigail, and across the way to Madeleine, before closing his eyes for the last time. Keystone Commons, in Ludlow, has been home to Clyde and Julie for the last eight years. For those who wish to make a charitable contribution in his name, we suggest Shriner's Hospital, which served our beloved grandson over the years, the Union of Concerned Scientists (one of Clyde's favorite charities), or a charity dear to your own heart. Shriners Hospital: 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104, Union of Concerned Scientists: 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02138. "