Obituary of Peter Bulkley

Peter S. Bulkley died peacefully at his home in Ithaca on February 23, 2017. He was 64 years old. The son of Seymour and Katharine Bulkley, Pete was a native Ithacan who spent his life cultivating an army of friends who were regularly treated to his unbridled laughter and lively wit. Pete was a lover of nature; he studied birds, loved vegetable gardening, loved pets and farm animals, and spent many an hour as a young teen riding bareback on his horse in the pastures and country roads around Bundy Road in Ithaca. While on a job in Florida Pete once spotted and reported a sighting of the highly elusive Ivory Billed Woodpecker. He loved motorcycles, liked to tinker and had a ready smile. He was also a self-taught guitar player. As part of Bob Comstock’s band he had the opportunity to play his guitar at places like Wolf Trap and Madison Square Garden with rock and roll legends such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and many others musicians. Pete made friends easily and had lots of them. It was once noted that because of his easy nature, his house was like Grand Central Station. He was an avid reader who particularly enjoyed Edgar Allen Poe, books about the natural world, the New York Times, and The New Yorker magazine. Pete attended St. John's Military Academy in Salina, Kansas and Ithaca High School. He later enrolled at Corning Community College. He was a jack of all trades who, among other things, worked as a mover, a cook, and a printer. During the latter part of his work life he enjoyed the many years he spent as office manager at the Tompkins County Mental Health Association in Ithaca. He was very generous with his time and energy. If a friend needed help with moving, construction, or anything else he was always happy to lend a hand. Pete is survived by countless friends who were like family to him, as well as his brothers David Bulkley of Ithaca and Andrew Bulkley of Kihei, Hawaii, his sister Elizabeth Bulkley of Deerfield, New Hampshire, and his niece Carolyn Gordon and grand nephews Evan and Finnian Gordon of Asheville, North Carolina. He is predeceased by his sister Clara Bulkley Anderson. A celebration of Pete's life for family and his many friends will take place at a later date, and in warmer weather