Corning: On October 3, 2022, Arthur John Peck, Jr., of Corning and Penn Yan, New York, passed away peacefully surrounded by family, at his son’s home. He died from a glioblastoma brain tumor at the age of 82.

John was born on March 2, 1940, in Trenton, New Jersey to the late Mary Kelly Peck and Arthur John Peck. He spent his childhood in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and graduated from The Lawrenceville School in 1958. John was captain of the soccer team at Yale University and a Bones man. After graduating from Yale University (1962), he worked at The Lawrenceville School before entering Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he earned his JD in 1968.

John began his career at Sherman and Sterling Law Firm in New York City. He moved to Corning, New York, in 1972, where he joined the Corning Glass Works legal department as assistant counsel. John spent 32 years with Corning Inc., serving as Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary at the time of his retirement.

John was a loving husband, devoted father, and man of deep faith. For fifty years, he was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church, serving as a lay reader, warden, and vestry person. He understood the importance of community and service, volunteering countless hours with social and cultural organizations. After Hurricane Agnes, he was instrumental in setting up the Market Street Restoration Agency, the Elmira Corning Community Foundation, and the Stewart Park Housing Development Fund, which provides safe and affordable housing for families. He also played an important role in establishing The Rockwell Museum, the Corning Classic LPGA, Corning Enterprises, and reviving Watkins Glen International Racetrack. In addition, John was active on the boards of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Guthrie Healthcare System, 171 Cedar Arts Center, and The Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes.

During retirement, John was an avid golfer and ever-improving painter, with many works of art displayed proudly on family walls. He continued to embrace what mattered to him, traveling with his wife Susan on Red Cross disaster relief missions to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, Texas following Hurricane Ida, and California to support wildfire relief. Locally, he and Susan delivered meals to the homebound through Meals on Wheels.

John married Susan Lodge Peck on July 18, 1970, in Brooklyn, Connecticut and celebrated fifty-two wonderful years together this summer. He was a truly great man who always did what was right and noble. He will forever be remembered by his loving family and friends for his laughter and enjoyment of life, quiet fortitude, generous heart and positive, kind nature, and for enriching the lives of those he loved.

John was preceded in death by his younger brother James Peck (2017) and brother-in-law David Lodge (2003). He is survived by his beloved wife Susan Lodge Peck; children David (Stephanie) and Emily Peck; grandchildren Dana and John Peck; sister Patty (David) Schorr; sister-in-law Gigi Lodge Lyons and many loving nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 21 in Houghton Lounge, Christ Episcopal Church, 33 East 1st Street in Corning, NY. A service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 22, at Christ Episcopal Church.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Corning Meals on Wheels, https://cmowheels.com

An old Irish blessing encapsulates John’s spirit:
May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.