Marc W. Pelletier

The world has lost a remarkable, compassionate man with an infectious love of life.

Marc Pelletier (77), of Castine, Maine, formerly of Charlestown, Mass., passed away peacefully Saturday morning, July 5, 2025, at Massachusetts General Hospital. His beloved wife of 44 years, Penny Carlhian, and son, Grayson, were at his side.

Marc is also survived by a brother, Jean Paul Pelletier; sisters Lisa and Liane Pelletier; sister-in-law Judy Issokson; grandchildren Cassandra, Tyler, and Fawn; and great-grandchildren Lyle, Lilith, and Bjorn. He was predeceased by his parents, William and Laurette, and his brother, Willy.

Marc was born in 1948, the oldest of five children, in New Britain, Conn., a city of factories and foundries. His hardscrabble upbringing planted essential seeds for him to later flourish as a steadfast, self-made man, respected in communities he called home. He found meaning and purpose through his strength of character, a tenacious thirst for knowledge, an appreciation for exceptional craftsmanship, and a genuine interest in people. Perhaps most important, he learned early on that accomplishments would not come easily and that overcoming obstacles made success that much more gratifying.

As a young man, Marc left New Britain for Martha’s Vineyard, where he was a talented drummer in a rock and roll band, and apprenticed to an artisan carpenter before striking out on his own in the building trades. This brief period provided him with an opportunity to hone skills that appealed to his penchant for quality and precision. He migrated to Boston, where he soon discovered the Boston Architectural Center – later the Boston Architectural College. While attending BAC classes in the evening, he met Penny in 1977, who was also taking courses. They have been together ever since. He worked in a number of architectural firms before switching to construction and project management, eventually transitioning to marketing and business development, representing and advising design and construction clients.

His ability to integrate design and built environment-related domains fostered lasting affiliations and leadership positions with a number of business organizations. These included SMPS (Society of Marketing Professionals), CI (Construction Institute, Connecticut Chapter), PWC (Professional Women in Construction/CT), SCUP (Society for College and University Planning), and the Boston Society of Architects.

During his tenure as a member of the Boston Architectural College’s Board of Trustees, he served in key roles on the College’s Institutional Advancement Committee, Annual Retreat, Strategic Planning and Nominating Committees, and the Governance Task Force. In 2013, he was appointed Board Chair, and in 2016, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree for his extraordinary impact on the health and vitality of the College.

This summary of Marc’s professional accomplishments does not do justice to the style, good taste, and spirit he displayed when engaged in everyday moments that mattered to him.

Those who knew Marc well recognized him as a refreshingly old-fashioned fellow. Consider the joy he derived composing hundreds of handwritten cards or letters on fine stationery for any celebration or milestone in his impeccable cursive lettering using one of his many vintage fountain pens. This genteel routine represented his essential desire to preserve an all but forgotten tradition, one that captured people’s imaginations and left them feeling valued and special.

Marc was an exceptional dresser, donning exquisite, tailored wool or seersucker suits, an eye-catching silk bow tie, fashionable Oxfords or tasseled loafers, outrageously colorful socks…or any combination of the above.

He was a connoisseur of good food and drink, whether dining out or masterfully preparing a recipe he’d spotted in the NY Times; nothing was better than accompanying him to a greasy spoon diner that served amazing breakfasts or his favorite grilled hot dogs topped with mustard and sauerkraut.

He was all about exceptional music, jigsaw puzzles, woodworking tools, French bulldogs, NASCAR races, his pickup truck, and discovering remote hideaways in Maine.

No one was better at telling animated stories and jokes, especially comically questionable ones.

When he and Penny moved full-time to Castine in 2016, Marc wasted no time becoming involved with local government, serving on the Castine Historical Society and eventually chairing Castine’s Historic Preservation Commission. Visitors were delighted when he met them at the town dock, driving Scarlett, the Castine Touring Company’s 6-passenger electric golf car. His 90-minute tour around town was a perfect way to meet new people and translate local history into buoyant storytelling filled with facts, folklore, and a healthy dose of laughter.

Always a voracious reader, Marc turned to writing these last two years and joined an old man’s writing group to write and read aloud short stories recounting his past. The introduction to his 10 tales in their recently published book, Four Old Men Writing Together, gives an idea of what this experience meant to him. “Nobody can ever predict the paths our life’s journey will follow, and it is only with a glimpse into the rearview mirror that I have gained a better sense of who I am and how I got to this point in my 77 years.”

When asked recently how he would like to be remembered, Marc said he hoped to be seen as a man who lived a full life and gave of himself in as many ways as he could, whenever possible. This part of his legacy is rock-solid and secure.

Plans for memorial services honoring Marc this fall will be announced separately.

The family requests that donations be made in Marc’s name to:
The  Boston Architectural College
320 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-0100
www.the-bac.edu
and/or
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
P.O. Box 22324
New York, NY  10087
888-557-7177
www.lls.org

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, Concord, MA 01742 978-369-3388 www.concordfuneral.com