Peter H. Pilkington Jr.

Peter H. Pilkington Jr., 90, of Brockton, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 8, 2023, surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren. Peter was born in Framingham, MA January 2, 1933 to the late Peter Herbert Pilkington, Sr. and Annie Leah Epstein Pilkington. Peter’s family settled in Brockton, MA when he was a boy and spent more than 80 years in the city graduating from Brockton High School in 1951, spending his career working for Bay State Gas Company on Belmont Street, and raising six children with his beloved wife in the Montello neighborhood of the city.

Peter served in the US Army from 1953-1955 during the Korean War. He spent the majority of his time stationed in Heidelberg and Hamburg, Germany. Peter had a number of photo albums that recounted his time in service and he would flip those pages regularly. Peter was proud of his service to his country and it fostered a lifelong patriotism within him. Peter’s home always proudly flew the American flag.

Peter met his wife Gloria (Croker) while they both worked for Bay State Gas Company. The two were married January 24, 1960, celebrating 63 years of marriage earlier this year. The two planted deep roots in their Brockton neighborhood in “The Village.” They raised their six children, welcomed nine grandchildren, and had almost 30 years of happy, healthy retirement in their homebase.

Peter spent over 38 years employed by The Bay State Gas Company in Brockton. He had many roles over those years and developed strong relationships with colleagues, including lifelong friend Harvey Small. Everyone knew Peter for his lighthearted attitude and all had something good to say about him.

In his spare time, Peter loved spending summer vacations in Cape Cod with Gloria and his kids and later his grandkids. They built a “circle” of friends in South Yarmouth, MA with Seaview Beach as their home away from home. Peter also loved antique cars and trucks, particularly restoring from the bottom up. Whether he was 40 or 90, he could always be found with his legs hanging out from under a car in his driveway, much to Gloria’s chagrin. Peter was also an avid Boston sports fan never missing the Patriots, Red Sox or Bruins.

Peter had a soft spot for the furry friends in his life, especially his beloved cockapoos, Heidi and Buffy. He could always be found walking his dog in the neighborhood while sipping his coffee and updating the neighbors on his children.

 In addition to his wife of 63 years, Gloria, Peter is survived by six children and their spouses: Gloria and Richard Bousquet of Mattapoisett, Peter and Carol Pilkington of East Bridgewater, Paul Pilkington of Dorchester, Patrick Pilkington and Norma Delaney of Lynnfield, Mary and Bob Cowgill of Middleborough, and John and Tyler Pilkington-Sperry of Framingham; nine grandchildren: Lauren Legault of Middletown RI, Jacqueline Bousquet of Mattapoisett, Christopher Pilkington of Whitman, Bryan Pilkington of New Bedford, Kathryn and Allison Cowgill of Middleborough, Emily Cowgill of Lawrence, and Callie and Grace Pilkington of Lynnfield; one great grandchild: Lucas Legault of Middletown, RI; and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his feline friend, British Shorthair Julie (whom he stubbornly referred to as Grace). He was predeceased by his sister Barbara Andrade and her husband Francis.

All are welcome to calling hours Wed. Sept. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., his funeral service at 11:30 a.m. all at Waitt Funeral Home, 850 North Main St. Brockton and burial at Melrose Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to (pets) Animal Protection Center of SE Mass. 1300 West Elm St. Ext. Brockton MA 02301 or (vets) Red Sox Foundation, ATTN: Run to Home Base
PO Box 411217, Boston MA 02241

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