Peter Alfred John Hellmold

Peter Alfred John Hellmold passed away Saturday, October 25, 2025 in Cottonwood, Arizona. Born in New York City on May 28, 1948 to Maja (Pfister) Hellmold and Heinz Hellmold, he grew up just across the Hudson River in Leonia, New Jersey, where he participated in Boy Scouts and school musical and football programs. 

Pete graduated in 1970 from Cornell University. There he played football during his freshman and sophomore years, and was a member of the Mu Chapter of the Sigma Phi Fraternity, the marching band and other campus programs. He remained an active alumnus and brother, as well as an avid enthusiast of Cornell football and Ithaca’s renowned landscape and gorges. 

Following a career as a math teacher and coach, Pete served as an analyst for the Internal Revenue Service, where he worked for more than 30 years. 

Ever curious, Pete’s interests were varied and wide, spanning aerospace and military history, music and mustaches, and natural sciences including astronomy, geology, entomology and zoology. A trumpet aficionado, he loved the New York Giants and was a life-long traveler. His excursions took him across Europe, the Caribbean and by RV through the American West, as well as to the Sonoran Desert, where he ultimately settled after retiring. 

He is survived by his children Erich Hellmold (Erin Hellmold) and Sara Hellmold (Tim Gerolami), grandchildren Grant, Taylor, Pierce, Grady, Ned and Claire, and former wife Becky Taylor. He also leaves his brothers Ralph, Paul, and Richard, as well as many nieces and nephews and their children. 

Memorial will be private. In lieu of flowers gifts may be made to Cornell University or the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.

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