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Pamela Rowe
Peabody

October 25, 1934 – August 17, 2018

Pamela Peabody
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"We are honored to provide this Book of Memories to the family."
— Jordan-Fernald Funeral Homes

Obituary for Pamela Rowe Peabody

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PAMELA ROWE PEABODY died peacefully on August 17th, after an extended illness at her summer home in Northeast Harbor, Maine, with her husband Malcolm (Mike) Peabody and sons Payson and Carter by her side.

She grew up in Cambridge, Mass, where her father H.S. Payson Rowe became chief investment officer for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. with her mother Florence Cassard Rowe and her older sister Barbara. She attended Windsor school in Boston in 1953 and went on to Vassar College graduating in 1957.

Pamela married her husband Mike in 1958 and soon after moved to New York City, where he joined the Rockefeller administration as an executive of the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. In 1961, they relocated to Cambridge where she worked for the Polaroid Corporation with Ansel Adams and traveled to the Sierra Nevadas.

Her experience working with Adams at Polaroid led to a life time interest in photography and film production. She first started a portrait photography business in Washington then in 1980 working with Robin Hardy, famed director of “The Wicker Man,” she produced “The Female Line." The film chronicled the lives of three accomplished relatives, Mary Parkman Peabody, Marietta Tree and Francis Fitzgerald. Subsequently, she produced acclaimed documentaries on Texas Artist Dorothy Hood, Robert Rauschenberg, Edith Wharton, Clement Conger and Abbott Thayer.

Her two boys, Payson and Carter, were born in Boston in 1963 and 1966 and in 1969, the family moved to Washington DC, where Mike joined the Department of H.U.D. under George Romney.

They lived in Cleveland Park and later in Georgetown where Pam supported the Corcoran Gallery of Art, hosted elegant parties, and transformed everything around her with her inimitable and impeccable style.

Pam had many close friends who admired her as a “gentle, loving and an elegant woman, possessing great tenacity in pursuing her projects, be it a movie, painting portraits or making a film.” She had a gift for bringing people together and was a tireless friend, mother and wife until the end.

Through her mother, Pam was descended from Bernard Cassard, a French refugee to America who helped to defend Ft. McHenry in the War of 1812. And from James Otis, Jr. the Harvard educated lawyer whose inspired defense of Boston merchants helped to spark the American Revolution and led to the adoption of the Bill of Rights. She was also descended from John Howland who narrowly survived passage on the Mayflower, and from the founding residents of Woodville, Ohio.

Memorial services will be held, 11 AM, Saturday, September 1, 2018 at St. Mary’s By The Sea Episcopal Church, Northeast Harbor, ME. After the service, Pam will be placed to rest in the family lot in Forest Hill Cemetery, Northeast Harbor, Maine. Another service will be held at 4 PM, Monday, October 1, 2018 at Christ Church, 30th P Street, DC.

Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert.

Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com

Service Information

When
October 1st, 2018 11:00am
Location
St. Mary's-By-The-Sea
Address
35 South Shore Road
Northeast Harbor, ME 04662
Service Extra Info
Another service will be held at 4 PM, Monday, October 1, 2018 at Christ Church, 30th P Street, DC.

Interment Information

Location
Forest Hill Cemetery (Northeast Harbor)
Address
Cemetery Road
Northeast Harbor, ME 04660
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