Peter Willie of Freeport: Former NYPD officer was 'strict, but very loving' father
Peter Willie retired from the NYPD after a 20-year career as a police officer. Credit: Willie Family
At age 16, Peter Willie left his North Carolina home and joined the Army. Because he was not yet 18, Willie used his cousin's identification to enlist.
It took the Army a few years to catch on, said his son Eric Willie. The Army decided to allow him to finish his service and gave him an honorable discharge at age 20.
After his Army stint, Willie moved to New York City to live with his aunt. He worked as a television cameraman for a short time and was hired as an NYPD officer in 1962. He was married by then, with two kids. The third arrived in 1968, after the family had moved to Long Island.
Peter Willie, of Freeport, died April 11 of complications caused by COVID-19, said his daughter, Stacey Dean. He was 89.
He was born on Feb. 11, 1931, in Wilmington, North Carolina. His mother died during childbirth, and he was raised by his aunt, the same one he later lived with in New York. In 1956, he met Georgina Barone at a wedding, and they were married in June 1957. In 1964, the Willies bought a house in Hempstead.
Dean said her father was a no-nonsense dad.
“He was a disciplinarian,’’ said Dean, of Hempstead. “He was very strict, but very loving. He didn’t show a lot of emotion, but he showed you he loved you by the things he did for you.’’
Whenever his children went to a party, her father would drive them there, and go inside to meet the parents, Dean said. Their father would look around the home and stay a while to mingle, recalled Eric Willie.
“We would be in the party, with the music going, and we would wonder if he was still around,’’ said Eric Willie, of Hempstead. “And all of a sudden, over all the music, you would hear this hearty laugh, ‘Ha, ha, ha.’ And we would look at each other. ‘Yep, he’s still here!’ ’’
In 1980, Willie moved to Freeport, and he retired from the NYPD in 1982.
Dean said her father loved basketball, football and Western movies. He was an usher at All Saints Episcopal Church in Baldwin, and he was a member of the 55-and-over club at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roosevelt.
In addition to his daughter Stacey and son Eric, Willie is survived by his wife, Georgina, of Hempstead; son Ian Willie, of Hempstead; three grandchildren; and one great grandson.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
