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C. Peter Lillya, emeritus professor of chemistry, died Sept. 15.

His obituary, published Oct. 12 in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, follows.
 

Clifford Peter Lillya of Amherst passed away peacefully on September 15, 2023 at Baystate Medical Center. Peter was born in Chicago in 1937, and spent his early years in Chicago and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Son of an academic and New Deal Democrats, Peter knew at an early age that he wanted to be a citizen scientist. Working summers in a University of Michigan laboratory in Ann Arbor, he went on to earn a BA in chemistry at Kalamazoo College and a PhD at Harvard University, working under Nobel Laureate E.J. Corey. He joined the UMass Amherst Chemistry Department in 1963, where he stayed his entire career, and remained an enthusiastic and supportive colleague long after his formal retirement in 2002. Peter's colleagues and students will remember him as an inquisitive, caring and gracious member of the community, whose research interests were broad and who embraced innovation. He remembered students who had only taken a course or two with him, and remained friends with and celebrated the careers of his many graduate students.

Peter was both a lifelong outdoorsman and athlete. He combined these interests by pursuing hiking, camping, rock climbing, and cycling, usually with friends and family. A love of travel took him around the globe, often visiting friends and children in far-flung locations. A passion for arts, particularly music, made him a supporter and fan of many local arts organizations. His concern for justice and nature also led him to support political and non-political causes, investigating issues for the League of Women Voters, being a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and volunteering for local and statewide political campaigns, particularly those of his close friend John Olver.

To the end of his life, Peter was devoted to his family, loved good conversation and company, remained curious about the world, and was concerned with the opinions and wellbeing of others. He will be greatly missed, and his life celebrated. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Maija, sister Ann Schoelles, children Erik and Ann, and grandchildren Maggie McFarland, Olive McFarland and Ethan Lillya.