Peter Don Day

Day—Peter Don Day, 85, on September 23, 2021, peacefully, with his daughter, Doren, by his side in Lumberton, N.J. Peter was born on February 27, 1936, to Julia Duane Day and Don Day in Darby, Pa. Peter advocated social justice from the time he attended Westtown School. He graduated from Penn State University and earned a master’s degree (research psychology) from Tufts University in 1962. While a student at Penn State, Peter picketed against racial discrimination occurring at local barber shops.

Peter began his career in marketing at DuPont, testing viewers’ responses to commercials. He worked in the apparel industry, using a system to forecast clothing and design trends based on surveys of potential consumers. He consulted widely, traveling to Singapore; Thailand; Costa Rica; Mexico; and, at one point, considered moving his family to Bangladesh. He lived in many parts of the country: Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kansas, Washington, Texas, Oregon, New York, Virginia, Georgia, and California before moving to New Jersey in 2014.

Throughout his life, Peter attended Quaker meetings and participated on many Quaker committees. He helped found Newark (Del.) Meeting. While a member of Orange Grove (Calif.) Meeting, Peter organized volunteers to serve breakfast to homeless families. Into his early 80s, Peter led adult education at the Quaker meetings he attended, including Medford (N.J.) Meeting and Atlantic City (N.J.) Area Meeting.

Peter loved to cook. His friends and family remember many fine meals prepared like a gourmet chef. The local fishmonger would know him by name, and he was a regular at various coffee shops. When Peter lived in Seattle, he discovered a marvelous little coffee shop, Pike Place Starbucks, that would eventually become the original Starbucks. He enjoyed exploring new places, whether traveling with his family on trips in a motorhome or, in his later years, taking Simon (Doren’s dog) for a walk. He enjoyed spending time in natural settings, simply sitting outdoors while petting a cat, or watching birds.

Peter is predeceased by his parents and sister, Barbara McMullan Boswell. He is survived by his children, Bernard (Anona), Doren, Nicole, and Erica; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson.