Fred Langan

Peter Wisdom, who died on December 3 at the age of 69, was a talented cabinet maker who lived and worked in this area for 35 years.

Peter was born in London, England, and first came to this area in 1980 to visit his half-brother, Dick Wisdom, the former mayor of the town.

Peter fell in love with the Eastern Townships and, in 1986, along with his wife, Kate and two children moved to the Town of Brome Lake.

Peter was a fine carpenter and soon gained a reputation in this area and Montreal for his work, particularly kitchen cabinetry. His own family house on Lakeside in Knowlton was like a showroom for the quality of his work. Later he moved to a house in Brome Village, which is also a kind of monument to his fine carpentry.

Peter was well-liked in the many places where he bought lumber and tools, and he came to appreciate the quality of the material he could source here. He always shopped locally. “He made a new life in Canada, and he really did become a local, even playing on a darts team,” said his son Tim.

“Peter was the coolest dad. He once pretended to be mad at me when the police came knocking at our house on Lakeside because of my teenage hijinks. He really had me convinced that I was in big trouble, and as soon as the police left, he burst out laughing and patted me on the back.” Peter is survived by his partner, Anne Whitehead, his mother Frances Benjamin, three sons, Timothy, Alexander and James, three grandchildren, as well as his twin brother Michael and his brothers Richard, Stephen and Tim.