Hoosick Falls – William Mackey Peckham, age 91, born May 3, 1924, was the son of the late William Mackey Peckham and Elizabeth Stewart. He was educated in Troy, NY and in Lansingburg schools. After joining the USN Seabees in WW II, he served in the Pacific on Oahu, Johnston Island, and Saipan. After the war, he earned a B.A. degree at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. Later, he was assistant credit manager at Montgomery Ward in Menands for a short time but then decided to continue his education, obtaining an M.A. in English from State University of NY at Albany. He taught junior and senior English at Hoosick Falls Central School from 1954 to 1984.
Mr. Peckham had served on the Board of Trustees of the Cheney Library in Hoosick Falls since 1957 and was president of that Board for 30 years between 1958 and 1998.
Mr. Peckham is survived by his wife Dorothy (Becker) Peckham, a son, William Stewart Peckham of Howard, OH, and grandchildren Sara and Ian Peckham and Brian Richard. He is also survived by a brother Stewart L. Peckham of Santa Fe, NM. He was preceded in death by a brother, John M. Peckham in 2001, and by his daughter, Lisa Richard, in 2009.
In following his wishes, Mr. Peckham’s body was donated to the Ohio State University Division of Anatomy. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, it is asked that donations in his name be made to either the Cheney Library of Hoosick Falls, PO Box 177, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090 or to the Nature Conservancy (www.natureconservancy.org)
To share a memory or leave the family a condolence, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com