Peter Eric Ruhlin

Peter Eric Ruhlin passed away surrounded by family on July 27,2025 on Hilton Head Island, SC. Peter was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, but he continued to live life to the fullest with his characteristic enthusiasm, tenacity, and positivity until the very end. 

Peter was born on May 10,1961 in Kodiak, AK. He grew up in New Canaan, CT where he played on the lacrosse and football teams and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Peter earned his Mechanical Engineering degree with Honors from Brown University where he played on the lacrosse team. After graduating from Boston College Law School, Cum Laude, Peter joined Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York City, where he met Holly Troxell, a fellow corporate finance attorney. They married in 1988 and settled in Darien, CT. In 1995, Peter became a partner at Linklaters & Paines and moved to Hong Kong to establish the Global U.S. Practice. Peter and his family returned to Darien in 1999 where they lived until they moved to Hilton Head Island in 2013. Most recently, Peter was Chief Legal Officer and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Steward Partners, a New York City-based wealth management firm.  He was a longtime member of The Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, RI, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, and The Camp Fire Club in Chappaqua, NY. Peter was also an involved member of his community, including as Chairman of the Board and Director of Laurel House, a nonprofit organization that provides resources for people living with mental illness, and as a devoted Member of the Board of Trustees of the Watch Hill Chapel Society.

Peter was an avid skier and outdoorsman. Some of his many passions and talents included golfing, biking, windsurfing, boating, house projects, and sharing stories. He filled each day with purpose and a determination to leave everything - and everyone - better than before. Above all else, Peter’s greatest joy was spending time with Holly, his children, his granddaughter, and his dog, Chief. Peter’s family will remember him for being larger than life. Peter was a total original. Once you met him, you never forgot him. We never will, and we will love him always. 

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Holly, their children Welles Ruhlin, Whitney Ruhlin (Mark) Muldowney, Lydia Ruhlin (Ryan) Brady, Charlotte Ruhlin, and their granddaughter, Maeve Muldowney. Peter was predeceased by his parents, Robert Raymond “Pete” Ruhlin and Marie Froehlich Ruhlin.