Peter Grose (15 Sep 1923 - 13 Jul 2026)

Peter Grose sadly passed away on 13th July 2026. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by all his family and friends.

Peter was born in South London and attended Dulwich College before being evacuated to Cornwall during the Second World War. As soon as he was old enough, he joined the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm as an Artificer, eventually attaining the rank of Petty Officer.

In November 1946 Peter joined George Wimpey, the civil engineering company where he built a long and successful career. While working on shipyard upgrades in Sunderland, he married his first wife, Nora Thompson, and together they welcomed three children over the following six years.

In the early 1960s, Peter transferred to Wimpey International and was posted first to Peru and then Ethiopia, where his family joined him for four memorable years. On returning to the UK, he was based in Hammersmith, from where he travelled extensively, overseeing engineering projects across the world, from Addis Ababa to Zaire.

Retiring in 1983 did little to slow Peter down. Keen to remain active and involved, he joined the Sutton Model Engineering Club, where he became Treasurer and later President. He greatly valued the friendships he made there and remained a committed member.

Following the loss of Nora in 1998, Peter was fortunate to find love again with Monica Peto. They shared 23 happy years of marriage, filled with companionship, travel and many wonderful memories, until Monica’s passing in 2024.

Peter had a lifelong love of boats and the water. What began with canal holidays developed into sailing adventures, and during the 1980s he proudly owned a 30-foot motor sailing yacht, Tarshyne. In later years, he enjoyed Great Train Journeys with friends from the Sutton Model Engineering Club, before moving on to the pleasures of cruising and travelling abroad with Monica. Their final holiday together was to Seville in 2018, when Peter was 92 years old.

Remarkably independent throughout his life, Peter only began to slow down after reaching the age of 100 and finally gave up driving at 101.

Peter will be remembered for his dedication to his family, his remarkable career, and the kindness and quiet determination with which he lived his life.

He is survived by his son, Robert, his daughter, Ann, his grandchildren, Ben and Sarah, and his great-grandchildren, Albert and Barnaby.

We ask you come together on the 18th August at 12:30 to celebrate Peter’s long, full and remarkable life, and to give thanks for the many happy memories he leaves behind and afterwards at Kingswood Golf club for Wake.