Peter Knowles passed away suddenly on November 28, 2022, from Pneumococcal Sepsis. Peter was born on January 5, 1938, in Washington DC and lived in the DC area his whole life. He served in the Navy for 38 years, first on active duty and then in the reserves where he flew P3s, doing anti-submarine surveillance. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University, while working and raising his children.
During that time, he worked for PEPCO, where he did electrical work for both the White House and Camp David. He then joined the federal government’s Naval Sea Systems Command, first as a senior electrical engineer for submarines and then as life-cycle manager for aircraft carriers. He was commended for his risk taking, leadership, management skills, and numerous achievements, for which he received several awards including the Navy Superior Civilian Achievement Award. After 38 years of service, Peter retired from the Federal Government. He was quickly hired as a contractor to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center, where he laid the foundation for the Coast Guard review of automated electrical systems, which are still used today, a decade or more later.
Peter was exceedingly proud of his two sons, Bobby, and Doug. His favorite thing to do was spending time with them and their wives, April, and JoAnn, and his four grandchildren, Madeline, Lily, Sarah, and William. Watching the grandchildren mature and explore interests was a joy to him. Peter and his wife Betsy Ranslow (aka BOO) met on a blind date, and they were married one month shy of 32 years when he passed. Peter and Betsy adopted a kitten during the pandemic. Pippin quickly became Peter’s afternoon nap buddy.
Peter loved to sail the Chesapeake Bay when he owned a Pearson 32’ sailboat. He was also an avid Lionel train collector and displayed the trains on a large wall in every home he had. As he got older, Peter loved to eat lunch out, and he and Betsy became regulars at several local restaurants, most notably, the Dish and Dram in Kensington. He also enjoyed international travel, especially cruising, and leaving DC in February for warmer weather in Key West. He regularly power-walked around the lake behind his condo to stay in shape, and it must have worked because anyone who met him thought he was 10 to 15 years younger than his actual age. But the thing that made Peter the happiest was making people laugh.
A funeral service will be held on May 24, 2023 at 1:00 PM at Fort Myer’s Old Post Chapel (2nd St. S., Arlington, VA) followed by burial at the Arlington National Cemetery.