Mark Nicholas Peters of North Truro died peacefully on July 24, 2024 at Cape Cod Hospital, with his stepdaughter by his side. The cause was acute renal failure. He was 72.
Born on March 18, 1952 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mark was the third son of Dr. Frank Anthony Peters (originally from North Truro) and Edith Erickson Peters. He spent his early years in Mason, Ohio.
Mark was a gifted student with a beautiful voice and was accepted to the St. Thomas Choir School in New York when he was in fifth grade. His brother Erik remembers seeing Mark and the choir on television in a memorial that followed President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
Mark went on to Choate Rosemary Hall and then Wesleyan University, where he majored in sociology and played football and lacrosse, graduating in 1976.
After college, Mark moved to North Truro to live with his great-aunt Flora Peters. He was a Truro police officer and served on the boards of the Lower Cape Ambulance Association, the Christian Union Church, and the chamber of commerce. He also was on the town’s board of health and was elected to the Truro Board of Selectmen, on which he served for 25 years.
He wrote a history of Truro for the chamber of commerce, and he taught in the alternative education program of the Provincetown Schools until his retirement in 2016.
Truro was where Mark met the love of his life, Jane Hutchings Furlano, who brought a 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter with her when they married in 1981. They were together more than 40 years until Jane’s death on June 5, 2024.
Mark unfailingly supported his stepchildren “financially and emotionally” and was always there for his family, said his stepdaughter, Maria.
Mark and Jane enjoyed traveling the East Coast from Prince Edward Island to Key West and especially loved Colonial Williamsburg and Meredith, N.H. Over the years they were adopted by many cats and dogs as well as some stray humans. They hosted family and friends for holidays and gatherings that were filled with laughter and love.
Mark was a voracious reader who loved to talk sports and history. He had a strong memory for trivia and was a formidable “Jeopardy” player.
His stepson, Gino, remembers how proud Mark was of his fruit trees and how he enjoyed walking his property on Shore Road, pointing out his “orchard.” Inspired by Mark, Gino grew fruit trees of his own.
Maria remembers his cooking experiments — Mark once melted the grille on a stove — as well as his deep and lovely singing voice. Although she is close with her father, Maria said Mark was also very much her dad, and she was honored to have him give her away at her wedding.
Mark is survived by his stepson, Gino Furlano, daughter-in-law Kimberley, and granddaughter Anneliese of Turner, Maine; stepdaughter Maria Furlano Jones and husband Jeffrey of Monmouth, Maine; brother Erik Peters and sister-in-law Martha of Mason, Ohio; and nephews Frank and Nicholas Peters. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Susan Peters of Wellfleet, Sara Hutchings of Orleans, Alice Hutchings Brainard of South Hadley, and Mary Hutchings Snider of Portland, Ore., and many nieces and nephews.
Mark was predeceased by his wife, Jane, and his brother Thomas Peters.
A memorial service for Mark will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Christian Union Church on Route 6A in North Truro. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Christian Union Church, Truro Fire and Rescue, the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod, or the Truro Council on Aging are appreciated. His children expressed deep gratitude to these organizations and to many friends and family for their support.
