Peter “Jesse” Carleton

A Celebration of Life for Peter “Jesse” Carleton will be held from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 2024 at LBC in Lawrence.  Green Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 5, 2024 at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Jesse was born in Burlington, Vermont, August 24,1938, and always was a true Vermonter, but loved living in Lawrence in his final years, working as a Union pipefitter and welder at power plants in the area, and in retirement enjoying all the wonderful food and music and art and people of his adopted town.

Jesse studied East Asian languages at Harvard University, graduating in 1959, taking a year off to live and study in Iceland. He continued his Icelandic studies at the University of California at Berkeley, living two more years in Iceland as he completed his doctorate. Jesse spoke Icelandic like a native and his doctoral thesis was used as a text in Iceland.

His years at Berkeley coincided with the struggles of many against the US War in Vietnam, and he joined first the Boilermakers and then the Plumbers and Pipefitters to work with others to end the war and strive to make our country a better place, a goal never achieved, he felt, but always worth working for.

He always loved California and made many lifelong friends there, but moved back to New England to be near his parents and to be more involved with his brother’s children as they grew up. He worked all over New England at power plants and various construction projects and for awhile, crafted one-of-a-kind wood stoves, each one carefully designed and crafted, all treasured to this day by the lucky owners.

Jesse began lifting weights at 15 and really found a wonderful sport he enjoyed, competing in what is known as Olympic style lifting against others of his weight and age. He was small in stature, but amazingly strong and loved being physically active, walking every day to the Community Building in Lawrence to both lift weights and ride the stationary bicycle.

 One of Jesse’s weightlifting buddies brought his former wife and good friend to meet Jesse, describing him as living in a tiny little house right on Lake Champlain, with thousands of books. The enchanting little home, what is known as a “camp” in New England, captivated Dayna, and Jesse stole her heart with his cooking as he offered her menudo, a typical Mexican stew he had simmering on the stove. She was amazed that anyone in Vermont even knew what it was, much less could cook it!

Thirty-four years of travels and adventures began as they made their home in Vermont in the summer, often traveling to California in the winter. Kayaking three miles across Lake Champlain to the Old Dock in Essex, New York, was Jesse’s favorite expedition. Their home was a gathering place, with many happy celebrations with friends from all over the world.

One magical summer they marveled as the returning hummingbirds enjoying the bee balm brought even smaller birds and they realized the babies were coming to get acquainted as well. 

Jesse is survived by his many nieces and nephews and their children, whom he dearly loved, by cousins who were very special to him, lifelong close friends who meant the world to him, and his wife Dayna, who feels she was very lucky to have been his helpmate all these years.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center, a favorite walking spot for Jesse in later years, at 1365 North 1250 Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66046 or may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13^th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.

The family want to express their deep appreciation to the caregivers from Apple Care: Amelia, Robert and Stella.