Obituary for Peter "Kit" Kerrigan
SWANVILLE – Peter “Kit” John Kerrigan, 85, passed away, Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Sussman House in Rockport with his wife at his side.
Born in Rutland, Vermont May 6, 1936, Kit grew up in Warrensburg, NY, where he attended school, graduating with academic and athletic honors. An anonymous person(s) in that small town gave him a scholarship to the University of Rochester. There Kit received his nickname (Kit Carson, because he was always in the woods), enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program, and when he graduated, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the USAF. At the top of his class in pilot training, he had his choice of aircraft, and chose helicopters, because he’d be saving, rather than destroying, lives. Though he flew numerous other aircraft, his “chopper” was always his favorite. Service in Westover, MA; Goose Bay, Labrador; the Cuban Missile crisis, and Tucson, AZ was followed by a tour in Vietnam. The Air Force subsequently sent him to the University of Alabama, where he earned an MBA, and membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma honorary business fraternity. Service at SAC HQ in Omaha, NE was followed by his final assignment at the Pentagon. Of the many medals he was awarded, his most treasured was the Airman’s – for risking his life to save that of others. When, after 21 years, he retired from the Air Force, he decided against moving his family again, and began civilian project management for the Department of Defense and the Services. That position allowed him to move from Northern Virginia to Maine, to his beloved cottage (“small house, large ambience”) on Swan Lake, where he lived for 26 years. There he began his third career, that of Treasurer and Tax Collector for the town of Swanville.
He continued enthusiastically pursing his avocations of athletics, hunting and fishing, which actually had always rivalled, if not interfered with, his official vocations! Venison, lake and brook trout were staples at the Kerrigan table. He described the major change in his life, in 1991, as “God reeled me in”, and is now with the Lord Jesus, Who loves him, and Whom he loves.
He is survived by his wife Charlotte; son David Kerrigan (Sarah), daughter Deborah West (Michael), son Chris Hermann; step children Meredith Kaiser (Jason), John Klenk, and Justin Klenk; grandchildren David Kerrigan, Jr. (Olivia), Veronica West, Madison West, Shauna Herrmann, Elizabeth Mingo (Joshua), Stephen Kaiser and Anabelle LevKlenk; and great-grandchildren Paxton and Brynlee Kerrigan, Logan and Mavvy Masters, and Taylor and Riley Masters; also step children from a dissolved marriage: Todd, Tim (Sonya), and Tammy Kerrigan, and their children Joe, Ian (Todd), Casey and Ethan (Tim).
Kit’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Lakeview Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 188 Rockland, St. Rockport, ME. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church, which has lovingly supported Kit in the difficulties of his last years.
Born in Rutland, Vermont May 6, 1936, Kit grew up in Warrensburg, NY, where he attended school, graduating with academic and athletic honors. An anonymous person(s) in that small town gave him a scholarship to the University of Rochester. There Kit received his nickname (Kit Carson, because he was always in the woods), enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program, and when he graduated, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the USAF. At the top of his class in pilot training, he had his choice of aircraft, and chose helicopters, because he’d be saving, rather than destroying, lives. Though he flew numerous other aircraft, his “chopper” was always his favorite. Service in Westover, MA; Goose Bay, Labrador; the Cuban Missile crisis, and Tucson, AZ was followed by a tour in Vietnam. The Air Force subsequently sent him to the University of Alabama, where he earned an MBA, and membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma honorary business fraternity. Service at SAC HQ in Omaha, NE was followed by his final assignment at the Pentagon. Of the many medals he was awarded, his most treasured was the Airman’s – for risking his life to save that of others. When, after 21 years, he retired from the Air Force, he decided against moving his family again, and began civilian project management for the Department of Defense and the Services. That position allowed him to move from Northern Virginia to Maine, to his beloved cottage (“small house, large ambience”) on Swan Lake, where he lived for 26 years. There he began his third career, that of Treasurer and Tax Collector for the town of Swanville.
He continued enthusiastically pursing his avocations of athletics, hunting and fishing, which actually had always rivalled, if not interfered with, his official vocations! Venison, lake and brook trout were staples at the Kerrigan table. He described the major change in his life, in 1991, as “God reeled me in”, and is now with the Lord Jesus, Who loves him, and Whom he loves.
He is survived by his wife Charlotte; son David Kerrigan (Sarah), daughter Deborah West (Michael), son Chris Hermann; step children Meredith Kaiser (Jason), John Klenk, and Justin Klenk; grandchildren David Kerrigan, Jr. (Olivia), Veronica West, Madison West, Shauna Herrmann, Elizabeth Mingo (Joshua), Stephen Kaiser and Anabelle LevKlenk; and great-grandchildren Paxton and Brynlee Kerrigan, Logan and Mavvy Masters, and Taylor and Riley Masters; also step children from a dissolved marriage: Todd, Tim (Sonya), and Tammy Kerrigan, and their children Joe, Ian (Todd), Casey and Ethan (Tim).
Kit’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Lakeview Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 188 Rockland, St. Rockport, ME. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church, which has lovingly supported Kit in the difficulties of his last years.