Peter John Haley, beloved father, uncle, brother, mentor, and friend, passed away peacefully at Heritage Hall in Leesburg, Virginia on the evening of June 24 ^th at the age of 93.

A handsome man of elegant bearing, proud of his Greek heritage, of athletic build and brilliant mind, Mr. Haley demonstrated for his family and friends what it means to love life and to live it well.  With his great generosity of spirit and intellect, he loved to share his knowledge and stories of a Loudoun County that no longer exists, of the music he adored, the movies he admired, and the countless poems he had memorized. Peter Haley was the classic autodidact, who taught himself ancient and modern Greek, who studied French, Italian and German, who could recite Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Shelley, and Wilfred Owen, who could quote Dorothy Parker stories or quote Homer, who loved Yeats and Joyce, who shared his eclectic interest in everyone from the Carter Family to Bach, Maria Callas to Gilbert and Sullivan, Orson Welles to Laurel and Hardy. Truly, Peter served his family as our man of wisdom and culture, and we learned from him and loved him and respected him so.

Peter Haley's grace and charm expressed itself in many ways—his humor, his enthusiasm, his hospitality—but most especially in his kindness.  Unwilling to speak unkindly about another, he would choose compassion instead. He knew that life can be a profound struggle and challenge, a deep understanding that lived in his soul and infused his words and deeds with decency and good will.

Peter was profoundly loved and respected not only by his family, but also by his community of friends and neighbors, who will miss knowing he's there on Mount Gilead, like he has been since 1951. Following his discharge from the navy at the end of the second world war, he attended George Washington University where he met Virginia Sherwood. They were married in June of 1949 and, though it meant that Peter's career at the National Archives would demand a long commute into D.C. for years, bought a remote, ancient farmhouse that lacked even indoor plumbing.  Over decades they made it into the warm and splendid home that it is today; a place where folks have always loved sitting around the kitchen table, laughing and talking or quietly relaxing on the porch listening to the sounds of a summer night falling over the surrounding woods and fields.

Peter Haley is predeceased by his wife, Virginia, his sister Caroline Lott and survived by his sister, Joni Drew; his son, Christopher and daughter-in-law, Helena; nephew John Dugger and niece Stephanie Colburn, both of whom Peter and Virginia raised as their own; Stephanie's husband, Rob; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held on July 27th please contact the Haley Family at PeterHaleyMemorial@gmail.com for further details.