Peter Howe Searl

Peter Howe Searl, 89, passed away peacefully on 23 December 2025. Born in Syracuse, New York, he graduated from Deerfield Academy, Dartmouth College and Syracuse University College of Law. From 1958 to 1967 he served intermittently in the United States Army. In 1957 he married Priscilla Bruns; eight years later, they moved with their three children to Honolulu, Hawaii, where Peter lived for twenty‑two years—practicing law, running marathons, teaching Hawaiian history, and interpreting daily life in the past at the Mission Houses Museum.

He later moved to Massachusetts, where he became historical interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village. While there, he met Mary Ellen Birkett, a professor at Smith College. They married in 1991 and made their home in Northampton, Massachusetts, with extended residences in Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland. In 2013 they moved to Santa Barbara, California, where Peter continued to explore the world with the stamina of an athlete, the mind of a lawyer, the curiosity of a historian, and the temperament of an artist.

He leaves his wife of 35 years, Mary Ellen Birkett; son Christopher Howe Searl and partner Jennifer Wood; son Peter Clayton Searl; and daughter Elizabeth Searl Crawford and husband Neil Crawford. He is also survived by four grandchildren—Lauren Crawford, Marshall Crawford, Ryan Searl, Jack Searl and wife Jessie; and a great‑grandson, Stellan Searl.

A private memorial service will be held in Syracuse, New York. Donations in Peter’s memory may be made to the Hawaiian Historical Society or to the Samarkand Benevolent Fund.