Peter Edwin Bulkley Erdman of Princeton, N.J. and Edgartown died peacefully on Dec. 20, 2023. He was 95.

He was the third of five sons born to Lucy Kidder Bulkley and Dr. Charles R. Erdman Jr. His father was a professor of political science at Princeton University, a mayor of Princeton borough and the commissioner of economic development for the state of New Jersey.

Peter was educated at Miss Fines and graduated from Princeton Country Day schools in 1943 and Phillips Exeter Academy in 1946. In 1950 he graduated from Princeton University, where he majored in basic engineering and pursued his love for ice hockey and lacrosse, and served as an officer of Dial Lodge.

Upon graduation he immediately began work for Bethlehem Steel Company in Bethlehem, Penn. When the Korean War started, he was accepted for service as a naval aviator. He served as an officer on the naval destroyer USS Conway from 1951 to 1953.

Peter married Hope (Patsy) Hamilton English, daughter of William H. and Margaret English of New York City and Edgartown, on Oct. 16, 1954 with Rev. Charles R. Erdman Sr. presiding.

In 1955, Peter began work for NJ Aluminum Extrusion Company. As vice president, he oversaw all technical operations of its extrusion business which grew to operate in many parts of the country.

He and Patsy moved to Princeton in 1955. Four children began to arrive and they built their home on Russell Road where they lived for 48 years prior to moving to Stonebridge at Montgomery in 2004.

Peter presided over life on Russell Road with reason and understanding. He ensured the family always ate and played together. The house and yard were always full of neighbors’ children and pets. He relaxed through yard work, growing huge tomatoes, building playhouses and co-hosting backyard touch football and July 4 celebrations.

Peter supported the community and alma maters throughout his life. He was a devoted Princeton alumnus and chaired many class reunions, served as a Dial Lodge trustee and became a fan at home varsity ice hockey and lacrosse games. Saturday nights at Baker Rink were often a family affair and his children remember many raucous evenings spent there.

Retirement enabled him to put his self-taught carpentry skills to use. He volunteered weekly for Habitat for Humanity from 1988 through 2003, putting plastic siding on houses under construction in Trenton.

After a knee injury put an end to his adult recreational hockey career, he discovered a passion for ice dancing. He skated with the Princeton Skating Club, passing his first ice dance test in 1970 and his final one in 1996, at the masters gold level.

Peter continued to visit his beloved Edgartown home, named Chapeda, until the house was sold in 2015. Memories of summer visits to Martha’s Vineyard with Grandpa are forever etched in the minds and hearts of his children and grandchildren as a great and precious gift.

He found comfort and inspiration from the Presbyterian faith. He was an active deacon at Nassau Presbyterian Church and a trustee for Princeton Theological Seminary.

Peter’s final years were physically challenging, but he remained forever optimistic. He expressed to family that he was privileged to have had a long and happy life surrounded by friends and loved ones. His children and grandchildren will miss their devoted father, friend and advisor.

Peter was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Hope English Erdman, and his brothers Charles R. Erdman 3rd and Harold Bulkley Erdman.

He is survived by his four children, Margy Becker and her husband Jim, Caroline E. Hare, William P. Erdman and Andrew E. Erdman; seven grandchildren; and his brothers David and Michael Erdman and their families.

Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity of South Central New Jersey or Arm In Arm.

Graveside and memorial services are planned for spring 2024.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton, N.J.