Miriam Wells Peters Obituary (1919 - 2016)

Miriam Wells Peters passed away peacefully October 17, 2016 at the Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga Springs. Miriam was born during an early snow storm, on the Frank Wells farm in Easton, October 6, 1919, she was the daughter of Welling B. Wells and Verena St. John Wells. Miriam was artistic and musical, loved nature, enjoyed painting pictures of the Pemaquid, ME rocky seacoast, and drawing local landscapes in pastels. She also enjoyed sewing, needlework and knitting. She sewed and knitted many of her own dresses and coats. Miriam was also interested in design projects. During her high school years, she drew up the plans for a remodel of their pantry kitchen which featured a wide board counter top, hidden drawers inside a lower cupboard, and a pull out cutting board. She entered her design plans in the 1938 Better Homes and Garden competition for kitchen designs. Later she would design the Easton Town logo for the Town Bicentennial, which was printed on glassware, t-shirts, keepsakes, and on signs posted on all the major highway and main roads throughout the Town. Miriam enjoyed sports especially watching the World Series. Her own sport during college was tennis. A clay court was established on the lawn east of their Vly Summit home, and became a go-to spot for friends from away. Miriam moved with her family to Scotia, NY where she attended grade school. When the family moved back to Easton, Miriam attended high school at Greenwich Central School. She went on to California to attend Glendale Community College, and completed her college studies at Syracuse University in New York, where she earned a B.A. Fine Arts, in classical music and piano. During WWII, Miriam moved to Schenectady and was employed by the General Electric Company in the advertising department. At the time the advertising included promoting rural electrification. While in Schenectady, she met the love of her life, Philip H. Peters, Jr. who was employed at the General Electric Company as a research scientist. They were married September 7, 1945 and lived in the Schenectady Stockade for several years. Philip, a jazz pianist, played the piano for her every night of their 58-year marriage. It was their common interest in historic building preservation that brought Miriam and Philip back to Easton to plan and undertake the restoration of what would become their home, the Inn at Easton Corners, known originally as the Swain-Starbuck Tavern. Together they later bought and restored a nearby house which was found to be the birthplace of George Corliss, inventor of the Corliss steam engine. Miriam was a member of Easton Book Club, Willard's Mountain DAR, served as a Trustee of the Easton Library, was a member of the Schenectady Junior League, the Agricultural Stewardship Association, the Iowa Farm Bureau, the Washington County Historical Society, and the Washington County Council on Preservation. As a member of the Preservation Council she promoted and obtained a historic site plaque for Burton Hall, and certificates for the Gallagher house in the hamlet of South Easton, and for the Liddell farm on Route 40 as preserved scenic farmland. Miriam was also a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston. Miriam was predeceased by her husband, Philip H. Peters, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Philippa Wells Peters, and by her three grandchildren whom she cherished: Angelica Wells Wawrzynek (Brett) of Mattoon, IL; William Barrett Dietz of Urbana, IL; and Nathaniel Linden Dietz of Madison, WI. Miriam was previously married to George Bonney of Watertown, NY. A graveside service will be held Saturday, October 22, at 1:30 P.M. at the Easton Rural Cemetery during which memories of Miriam may be shared. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials may be sent to the Easton Library, 1074 State Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834, the Easton-Greenwich Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 84, Greenwich, NY 12834, the Washington County Historical Society, 167 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828-1709, or to the Agricultural Stewardship Association, 2531 State Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834. Online condolences and messages to the family may be made at www.flynnbrosinc.com