My most vivid memories of Peter mostly come from birthday parties and other family events.  He was always the life of the party and kept the whole group in boisterous spirits.  He would also indulge as much as anyone else in the scotch selection at hand and then pose ingenious riddles or encode our ages in clever equations that left us all in amazement!

But some of my most cherished memories are from much quieter and mundane occasions.  Many years ago, I attended an economics conference in San Diego, and by the second day, I was "completely knackered" (as one of my colleagues so aptly described it).  Peter and Sharron generously invited me out that night, despite just having arrived back in San Diego themselves, and I'm so glad I accepted.  After a casual dinner and general conversation, I felt a million miles from the hassles of the conference and so refreshed that I was actually looking forward to going back for the last day.  Peter had an inimitable way of making you feel more optimistic, more energetic, and -- there's really no other word for it -- better, just by being around him.

It has been so heartwarming to read all the lovely memories here.  Thank you everyone for sharing them.

I miss you, Uncle Peter, and I'm sending my warmest wishes to all of your family and friends.

My wife  Lorraine was Sharron’s cousin.
Peter and Sharron visited the uk on a regular basis and always visited our family when ever they were  in the UK.
A very fond memory was when Lorraine and i took Peter and Sharron to the world famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom for afternoon tea.
Lorraine arranged for Sharron and Peters names to be read out over the PA system marking their visit from “over the pond. “It was a lovely afternoon and a special memory for us as we knew both Sharron and Peter were keen dancers.
Please see the lovely photo below of them both “treading the boards” (sprung ones)
With all our love and thoughts at this very sad time.
Philip Shore and family x

Photograph on Peter and Sharon’s last visit to the UK.

A Dear & Most Wonderful Neighbour!

Peter & Sharron moved into the house next door sometime in the mid-late 80's & from the moment they arrived with two youngsters in tow there was an immediate connection.  This dynamic family of intellectuals would make excellent neighbours & over the decades a lifelong friendship was formed.

Many a meals were shared over the years.  My wife Lynda & I always looked forward to hosting Peter & Sharron.  Peter had a way about him that made Lynda & I feel that we had done something extraordinarily special curated just for him.  As life changed & Peter & Sharron began spending more time in San Diego the Christmas Eve dinner became a much looked forward to time, to come together & reflect.  Peter would always jump on our always out-of-tune piano & create a beautifully raucous & jubilant atmosphere.  

Ever the eccentric personality he maintained the ability to create inclusive environments & explain PhD level topics to an audience in lay terms always generating wild debate & fabulous conversation.  

This news has had a profound effect on me & while we were having difficulty connecting on the phone in recent years he has always been in my thoughts.  I will miss the conversations with Peter greatly as he was one of the great conversationalist I have had the pleasure to know.  

The hay day of Hillsdale was a roaring good time.  I thank your family for being dear friends and tremendous neighbours over a lifetime of raising a family.

With our deepest respect,
Malcolm Garner and Hilary

This news came as a huge shock to me and has caused me to really reflect on what Peter and Sharron meant to me over the years. I was taken back to that time at Disneyland when I was quite young and Peter somehow misplaced the keys to the minivan. I can remember that moment very clearly despite being so young: we were walking back to the car from the park, and Peter said "It's okay, we'll just get in the car and drive away!" My little brain found that quite peculiar and as I remember it surely broke the tension when I replied something along the lines of, "And just how are we going to do that?" Perhaps seeing myself as a little one come close to matching Peter's wit for a moment was a large part of what broke the tension so well.

Peter was one of my biggest supporters in my academic career. I can remember him telling me multiple times over the years how we're lucky to live in a world (and in particular, I'm lucky to live in a family situation) that affords us the time to figure out exactly what we want to do. He talked about how it is better to spend the time to get it right than to end up not liking what you're doing. The realization that I won't have him be just an email away hit me hard and continues to do so. I am sad for not only the wealth of knowledge that I will no longer be able to tap into but, even more, the unique way of looking at the world that he had.

Sharron and Kim, I hope you are taking care of yourselves and above all, being kind to yourselves. Grief is complex and what I have learned about it through my volunteer effort with grieving children (a program that Sharron and Peter have so generously supported both morally and financially, for which I am so grateful) is that there is no right or wrong way to go through it, you just have to let yourself make decisions and feel how you need to at the time. I look forward to celebrating Peter's life with you in the spring.

What a loss! I can't believe that Peter is no longer with us. In 26 years that I knew him, he didn't seem to get any older. He was energetic and full of life and bright ideas till the last day. I first heard his name in late 1980s when I came into Kurchatov Institute in Russia as a student and was given his papers by my supervisor to educate myself about Langmuir probes in tokamaks. In 1999 when I moved to San Diego, I was lucky to meet Peter in my first week at DIII-D, and he played a great role in my career on multiple occasions. I always knew I could rely on him for an advice and sharing his deep knowledge of plasma physics. His book was (and still is) always on my desk. He was also such a great personality! I remember him playing a concert piano and many other great moments in San Diego and at conferences around the world. Once he challenged  me for a blind drinking contest, where where we compared Canadian and Russian vodkas.  Russian Standard won, and he asked me to take the label off the bottle and give it to him. I'll miss him...
My deepest condolences to Sharron and the rest of the family.

Dear Sharron,

I am so very sorry to hear about Peter’s passing. He was always such an interesting person and my wife Shary (who passed away in 2023) and I had so many enjoyable times with you and Peter, going back more than 20 years. We tried to get together last season but it didn’t work out. I was looking forward to seeing you and Peter this fall. What a tragedy. Peter was so bright and such an accomplished conversationalist. I will miss him very much. 

In 2018 we had a big party in our back yard, a flapper party. Everyone came in costume and we had you, an accomplished dancer, teach everyone the Charleston. Here is a photo of you and Peter at the party. 


Art Cohen

11 November 25
Today on Remembrance Day, I remember Peter especially. We first met in grade 9 at BCI in September 1957, got chucked out of French class in grade 10, spent hours at his home with  Peter's grandparents, the Dempseys,  true Orange  Lodge members,  often leaving their front porch when I, a true a Catholic, came to visit. Peter's mom, Evelyn was a nursing  instructor for my mom, as well. Another connection. We acted in plays at high school, (Peter got me to take on the lead role of Maurice in "The Heiress"), got into every club that high school offered, socialized with a great crowd, many still friends even to this day. Then he loaned me money from his grade 13  scholarships to attend the University of Toronto when I had so little. It was the start of my wonderful life there, he at Victoria College, me at St. Michael's College. Whenever I hesitated in life, Peter encouraged me on.
        Through all the 68 years we were friends. My parents even bought in 1953, unbeknownst to both Peter and I until we were in our 50's,  the home that the Pelton family owned before Keith married Evelyn, Peter's mom. Connections and ties that cannot be broken by death. I shall miss our conversations and his inimitable wit and humour.  The world of physics has lost a truly great man and we, a great friend. I offer my prayers to Sharron and all their family. Requiescat in pacem, Peter.
Michael Ferguson

At a 1984 summer school at Val-Morin in the Laurentians, he began his lecture saying "I am sure I will answer all your questions in the lecture, so don't interrupt it."  -- And he did.
Peter was an excellent drinking companion. His taste was for the finest, and most expensive.  At a meeting in Bournemouth, he agreed to play the piano if I would buy the drinks. After several rounds of Macallan, which emptied my wallet, I still thought I had the better of the deal. That, in spite of him never taking a piano lesson -- at least that is what I recall he said.
Peter's voice  echoed through corridors, meeting room and across busy streets, whether in Abingdon or Princeton, or wherever. You always knew if he was there.
 A dear friend.

I first met Peter at the EPS Conference in Berlin in 1991, which marked the beginning of a collaboration and friendship that spanned over three decades. He was an exceptionally gifted and brilliant scientist, and I learned and benefited immensely from his deep knowledge and experience throughout my career.

I have many fond memories of visiting him at the University of Toronto and greatly enjoyed the warm hospitality of Peter and Sharron when they invited me to their home. Scientific conferences were always more enjoyable in his company - an evening with Peter guaranteed witty conversation and good humour. His talents extended well beyond science: I vividly remember one evening in Yokohama when he took over the grand piano in a rooftop bar and entertained everyone with his playing.

The news of his sudden passing was profoundly saddening. My heartfelt condolences go to Sharron, his daughter Kim, and his grandchildren.

Peter Stan, the Music Man:  A redhead , a cool pianist and 12 years old, sitting at Dad's piano in Brockville,ON :"OK Guys, we're going to give it all we've got and it'll be enough to really go places!" He and my brotherJohn Philips (12), a wild trombonist, had decided that Brockville needed a dance band. Rob Gemmill(11) on drums, Bob McCann(12) and me Wendy (14)on our clarinets devoured any music Peter could find, and with his "are-we-ever-good approach" ,we dreamt of stardom to come. Peter's star, though, shone the brightest and with his positive, fun-loving, yet humble character, he won the hearts of so many people around the world. May his star shine on for you, dear Sharron and Kim, in the beautiful memories Peter has given to us all.  With love, deep heartfelt sympathy, and a big, bear hug to you both,   Wendy (Philips) Trutnau, Winsen, Germany

Even in universities, there are few teachers who could ever claim to have truly shaped the next generation, but Professor Stangeby was certainly one of them. Be it supporting the class or painting the beauty of rigorous calculus in vivid detail, Professor Stangeby had a charisma that drew us in and set the stage for all the learning to come. Despite the brief time he taught us, I emerged with a foundationally transformed appreciation for mathematics, and I am certain that across his decades of teaching I was not alone in this. With his passing, we have lost a great mentor; the EngSci community will not be the same without him. Thank you, Professor Stangeby; It was an honor to learn from you. May your students carry your lessons into the future in your stead.

What a big, joyous and generous personality Peter had!  After first meeting in Oxford when our first born were babies, we kept in touch and met up again most years when they returned to Oxford from Canada.  It was easy to pick up our friendship again. We had lots of fun meet ups.  Seeing Shakespeare in Stratford with a bootful of meringues, a visit to Buscot park and a hilarious lock-in at a restaurant nearby.  These were just a few of many memorable occasions. On visiting us in Bristol Peter would sit down at the piano and unasked and oblivious would play brilliant improvised jazz, head up and eyes closed.  He loved inventing language especially nonsense words, and loved poems like the Jabberwocky which he taught Kim.  He had such a quick wit: he told us of leaving an empty carrycot on the top of the car by mistake, and when it blew off on the motorway into a field, saying to the flabbergasted farmer, as he retrieved it, “it’s amazing what these kids will put up with these days.”  Such happy memories of a wonderful man.  I am sure Sharron and Kim are desperately missing him.  We send them our love.

When I joined Garry McCracken's Plasma Surface Interaction Group at Culham Laboratory as a PhD student, Peter was already an established collaborator and was the external examiner for my PhD in 1984. Peter's great strength throughout his career was his interest in testing the basic assumptions of Plasma Edge Physics; he had the knowledge and mathematical ability to reduce things to a form one could test and understand. His approach and endless enthusiasm directly inspired a number of experiments that I carried out in my early career. Ever since, Peter was someone to whom  I turned when short of ideas. Not surprisingly, Peter was highly respected across the field of Plasma Boundary Physics, and his book remains an unparalleled reference for anyone entering this area of study. He was enthusiastic about ITER and keen to help tackle tricky and complex real-world problems, such as how to shape the ITER first wall components.

Peter and Sharron were regular visitors to Oxfordshire for several decades and became family friends.  My wife Liz and I will always remember the happy times when we would meet up. These were often in the company of Garry and Pamela McCracken, who are also sadly no longer with us. Peter's passing is a great loss and our thoughts are with Sharron and Kim.

My thoughts and affection at this very sad time are with Sharron and Kim.  I have been very lucky to meet Peter when I was a PhD student at JET, Culham (Oxford) in the mid 90's. He was a source of inspiration for us young physicists and I will never forget his enthusiasm and all the knowledge he shared with us. We remained in contact with Peter and Sharron over the years. I always enjoyed meeting up with them on their visit to Oxford and, at least twice when I visited the lab in San Diego, at their home in San Diego. Peter's passion for science and for life in general was fantastic and contagious.  He will be sadly missed, but his legacy remains with us.

Dear Sharron, 
My deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved husband.  Please know that my thoughts are with you during this difficult time, and may his memory be a source of peace and comfort in the days ahead.

Peter was far more to me than a professor and colleague.  He was a friend whose enthusiasm knew (almost) no bounds.  Whether in Canada, the US or in England, Costanza and I always looked forward to meeting Peter and Sharron and recharging with their exuberant attitude to life.

On one trip to San Diego, I remember ‘bombing’ around town looking for a place that sold good whisky.  When nothing up to scratch could be found, we ended up back at his house where the supply was known to be plentiful and top quality.  Thus we ‘dropped in’ on Sharron with no warning and were received with the usual warmth and generosity.  I will remember fondly all the wonderful times we spent together.

Sharron & Family,
Our hearts are so saddened for your loss.
We will never forget the many lunches and dinners the four of us shared together while you were in San Diego.  Those were such special times…..talking and laughing.  

It was always a joy to experience Peter’s wonderful personality ….quick wit, inquisitive mind, intelligence and also his kind, caring soul.

He was a special,  unique, person we had the honor of knowing and we will never forget him.

Dear Sharon and family.  That is so sad,  I send my condolences to you and your family. Sharon,  I did not know Peter well but enjoyed chatting in the elevater with him, now and again.  You will be busy getting things organized, one day at a time.   Time is a healer, after awhile!  Keep strong.  Welcome back  home....My thoughts are with you all.   Ann[702]

We have always valued yours and Peter’s friendship Sharron, and have looked forward to your visits to the UK. Peter taught us a lot about the Colleges of Oxford! An Academic at heart he had the most amazing sense of humour, musical ability ( remember the day he actually made our old piano sound tuneful?!) and a talent to be able to converse with anyone at their level!
His store of jokes - amazing!
Richard & Pam

Peter was a great friend and colleague.  One of my first and fondest memories of Peter is at the PSI (Plasma Surface Interaction) conference.  In his hotel room several of us younger (at the time) colleagues gathered around to have a sip of scotch, listen to music and learn at the feet of one of the giants of our field.  Peter was generous and graceful with several generations of young colleagues, who then went on to lead major efforts in fusion research.   Not only was Peter an inspiration in my science,  but I also learned many valuable lessons about how to be a professor and mentor.  
He will be sorely missed by all.

Sharron, I am so saddened and shocked by Peter's passing.  You and your family are in my thoughts, and I hope that you're coping as well as you can with such a tragedy.  Your Peter was a charming man.  Do you remember that my sister, Bev, had a crush on him after meeting and chatting with him?  I am sending you a virtual hug and wish that it could be in person.  I hope that we'll meet again.  Please take good care of yourself.  

Much love, Nancy Nakatani

I am so sorry to hear of Peter’s passing.  While I have not seen him in a long while, I so clearly remember his infectious sense of humour and huge enthusiasm for, well, everything.  Kim, Sharron, I am so sorry for your loss and my heart goes out to you and family at this time.

Peter, on the occasion of his induction onto the Wall of Excellence at his high school alma mater, Brockville Collegiate Institute in 2016.

It was such a pleasure to re-connect with Peter and Sharron after so many years since "high school" days.

Needles to say, we were shocked to hear this news about Peter.

Take care,
Bobby & Patti

Peter was a wonderful colleague for 38 years and he will be sorely missed. I have many fond memories of interactions with him, both professional and personal. I also can remember agreeing with him several times during contentious staff meetings at UTIAS. It is wonderful to read the many comments from students he supervised and taught and to see the tremendous positive impact Peter made on so many students. To a true scholar, teacher, and genuinely good person.

I am greatly saddened by Peter’s sudden passing. He was an amazing mentor, supervisor, colleague and friend. I’ve worked closely with Peter for most of my adult life, more than 35 years. Putting his ideas into practice with our modeling codes, exploring the physics of the plasma edge, working to understand and interpret experiments across a number of fusion devices, from JET, to AUG, ITER, DIII-D and others. Peter was involved and active in the fusion community even after he “retired” from UofT, constantly contributing and constantly advocating. I’ve never met anyone that equaled his depth of knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm. Like many over the years, I first met Peter in first year Engineering Science calculus at the UofT (in 1982). At that time, I could not have imagined the impact he would have on my life personally and professionally. He was a co-supervisor of my MASc and eventually the supervisor of my PhD. In recent years, Peter also taught 1st year calculus to both of my daughters. I am grateful that they both had the opportunity to meet him and be inspired by his stories which were always a part of his lectures. There are far too many memories to try recounting them, suffice to say that he will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to Sharron and Kim (and the grand children and the rest of the family). Those who knew him best will miss him most.

I have known Peter since the 1980's from my early career at JET followed by MIT where we worked closely together.   He was an excellent physicist and a great man whom I will always remember fondly.  I had the pleasure to also host his daughter Kim when she was still quite young as an intern at JET.  I pray that she is still doing well and I wish her all the best in this difficult time.

It is with great sadness that I learned of Peter's passing. He was never my teacher per se, but I always considered him a mentor, since the beginnings of my scientific career in plasma physics, over which we had many occasions to collaborate together. It was always a great pleasure to discuss with Peter, and one's understanding always grew from these talks. He had a knack for getting to the essential point at stake and shed light on even the more complex problems. His lectures, for the few I got to attend, were always illuminating, as well as full of humor and humanity. Over the years, I also enjoyed our many discussions about all things Canadian, history, and human nature. He will be sorely missed.

After nearly 60 years of friendship we shall miss Peter so much.  We have many happy memories of the four of us together.  He was such an inspiring, entertaining and caring friend - with a lovely sense of humour.  Our hearts go out to Sharron and the family.

Such a sharp mind and a wonderful person! I feel SO happy to have seen him on his last day, smiling in the sun with his arms spread wide, standing next to Sharron. 

My family misses you, Peter. We love you. We will never forget you.

I am so sorry to hear of Peter's passing. He was a brilliant scientist, and interacting with him through the years (whether at conferences or at DIII-D) was always a pleasure. I always appreciated how kind he was to people and his willingness to engage with them on almost any subject (reflective of the broad interests that he cultivated throughout his life). He was always very supportive of our group at Sandia, particularly on the work we were doing on charge exchange erosion, which was a topic he was always enthusiastic about.

I wanted to express my deepest sympathy to Peter's family, and likewise to all his students, friends, and colleagues in the Aerospace Department at the University of Toronto, DIII-D, and elsewhere. Please know that all of you are in my thoughts.

Dr. Stangeby was in my PhD committee. He was generous with his time, knowledge and patience. I am definitely saddened by his loss. The fusion community definitely will miss his contribution. He was a great teacher, mentor and his book taught me everything I needed to know in the field of scrape-off-layer physics. Rest in peace Dr. Stangeby! Power and peace to his family.

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Peter Stangeby.  Peter was kind, humble, and generous with his time and knowledge.  He not only inspired my own research but also offer encouragement and support when I needed it most. I was so fortunate to meet him in my life.
Rest in peace, Peter — and thank you, for everything you’ve given to our field and to those who followed in your path.

Peter was my Ph.D. supervisor, and I continued to collaborate with him throughout my career. I graduated more than ten years ago, but he was still schooling me and improving my understanding if plasma physics last month. 

Peter was (and still is) the reference in our field. He literally wrote the book on nuclear fusion Scrape-Off Layer physics, Debye sheath physics, Langmuir probe physics, computation for nuclear fusion. 

Peter lived his life to its fullest. I'm confident that if we could go back in time and warn him when his time would be up, he wouldn't have changed a thing. Well... Maybe he would have finished writing one or two more papers.

Professor Stangeby was by far one of the most influential professors I had in my first year of Engsci. He was passionate, caring, and his "chat email me", the first thing he wrote on the board every lecture, will never leave my memory, Not only have his quirky phrases like "rigor" left their mark on the our community, but the passion and enthusiasm he brought to the first 6 weeks of any Engsci's experience will be remembered in the hearts of the thousands of students he's taught over the years. We will miss you professor!

Thank you Professor Stangeby for being part of an amazing first year experience and really making EngSci special. Will always miss you waving your handkerchief as we applauded after every lecture and I will always remember your encouraging words at the end of your last lecture to us! Wishing his family well!

I was a student in Professor Stangeby’s calculus course last year. He was universally loved by students for his unique blend of humor, wisdom, and encouragement, whether that’s during his lecture emphasizing the importance of rigor in mathematical proofs or inviting us to chat over email. In a time when we were overwhelmed with transitioning from high school to university, Professor Stangeby was the voice that told us “don’t worry, it’ll be all right, try your best, and you’ll belong”. It is clear he cared deeply about teaching, and about his students. We were so fortunate to have been part of his classes. Professor Stangeby was a core part of the UofT EngSci spirit, and his passing is an immense loss. He will live on forever in the hearts of his Class of 2T8.

Professor Stangeby was an incredible professor. Not only was he devoted to Calculus, his teaching was meaningful yet lighthearted, leaving the room in laughs while also inspiring everyone to become lifelong learners. I will always remember the speech he gave us before Thanksgiving weekend. He said that in his 82 years of life, the hardest moment he had ever experienced was Thanksgiving weekend of first year, when he felt like he was inadequate amidst the rigour of post-secondary. Yet he imparted to us the assurance that we all belong here, and he taught us that the most valuable lesson we will take away from this program is a renowned understanding of ourselves and our own potential.  I approached him after that speech in tears, and he said "I know." And I believe that single statement encompasses who Professor Stangeby was. He was someone who, above all else, was compassionate, and genuinely invested in the success of his students. He has uplifted a generation of bright minds, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Rest in peace Professor Stangeby. 🕊️

OBITUARY

Peter Christian Stangeby

September 6, 1943 – October 26, 2025

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