Peter J. Flood

Peter J. Flood, 91, longtime resident of Merrimack, NH passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 at Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, MA after a period of declining health. He was surrounded by his family.

Born in Norwood, MA on September 29th, 1933, Peter was one of three children of Harold and Ellen Waldron Flood. Raised in Norwood, Mass., he graduated from Norwood High School where he was a three-sport athlete. He attended Yale University and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University.

While a student at Yale, Peter enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from 1954 to 1956 as a 1st Lt paratrooper and jumpmaster in the 82nd Airborne Division and subsequently trained as an Army Ranger. He was very proud of his service. When he was discharged from the army, his older sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer in Boston. Having been away from his family for two years, he decided not to return to Yale to finish his degree and instead enrolled at Tufts. After graduating from Tufts, he worked as a pharmaceutical salesman in Boston and lived in Beacon Hill. There he met his future wife Jacqueline Booge of Wilmington, DE in 1963 and they were married in 1964.

During high school and college, Peter had been a camp counselor and swimming instructor at many camps in New Hampshire so, after he and Jackie married, he talked her into moving north. They raised four children in a historic farmhouse in Merrimack which was home to many, many pets of all persuasions, a giant vegetable garden, any campaign workers in need of a bed, and too many fun-loving friends to count.

Peter worked as a real estate developer for many years. His most notable projects were Jasper Valley in Amherst and Sky Meadow in Nashua. His real estate career was long, varied and often complicated. Once, he was at a law firm’s Christmas party in Manchester. A fellow guest asked him in casual conversation, “which firm are you with?” He looked around the room and said, “I’m not a lawyer. I’m the client.” He was also a familiar face at any Democratic Party event in New Hampshire and an avid tennis player at Hampshire Hills (where he and Jackie were original members) and Jasper Valley.

After retiring, Peter delved into a special interest of his, the American Revolution. One afternoon at the Boston Athenaeum, he unearthed a receipt which turned out to be evidence that a particular foray of Paul Revere’s was not what had been previously thought. The article Peter wrote for the Paul Revere House in Boston, setting forth his theory, is now their most-searched document. We are all grateful to them for making him aware of this fun fact last year.

In his late eighties, recognizing the enormous differences between his childhood and the childhoods of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he wrote several volumes of memoirs. Not only do they capture a very typical American boyhood of the 1930s and 1940s, they are also written in his beautiful handwriting which is a keen reminder of him.

Peter was pre-deceased by his wife Jacqueline (Booge) Flood in 2019, his sister, Ann Flood and his son-in-law and good friend, Christopher Leitz, in 2024.

He will be forever loved and remembered by his four children, Jessica Leitz of Merrimack, Susan and husband Chuck McLaughlin of Kennebunkport, ME, Deborah and husband Sergey Sevastyanov of Melrose MA and Nicholas Flood of Merrimack; seven grandchildren, Keegan Leitz and his wife Aishu of Georgetown, MA, Nils Leitz and his husband Evan of San Francisco, Duncan Leitz of Boston, Clare and her husband Brian Sullivan of Norwalk, CT, Aidan McLaughlin and his soon-to-be wife Hattie of Portland, OR, and Peter and Alexander (Sasha) Sevastyanov of Melrose; four great-grandchildren, Ezra, Leela and Tova Leitz and Myles Sullivan; a much loved brother, David Flood, along with several nieces and nephews. A very special thank you from the family goes to the Fitch Home in Melrose, MA, where he lived out his final year in comfort and contentment.

Peter was a very active member of the Merrimack Rotary Club. Memorial donations in Peter’s honor can be made to The Merrimack Rotary Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 181, Merrimack NH 03054.

In accordance with the families wishes, there will be no services at this time, but a Celebration of Life will be held at Martha’s Exchange on Saturday, May 10th from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Kindly visit rivetfuneralhome.com to leave an online condolence for the family.