Sir Peter Anderson dies at 67 of lung cancer

BY MARK HOWELL
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Peter Anderson, acclaimed Secretary General of the Conch Republic and the creator and sole purveyor of Conch Republic passports, died at his home on Simonton Street at 9:18 a.m., Wednesday, following a courageous battle with lung cancer. He was 67.
He is survived by Judith Anderson, from whom he was divorced, and their daughter, Mikaela, of Key West, who were with him when he died, and by a brother in New York.
The cancer was first diagnosed in October last year, which led Anderson to undergo an advanced treatment of proton radiation at the MD Anderson clinic of the University of Texas. This gave him several months of relief during which he was able to publish in Konk Life a weekly series on the story of his life and the annual Conch Republic Celebration, which he took over when appointed Secretary General by then-Key West mayor Capt. Tony Taracino.
Since 1990, including this year, Sir Peter led the Conch Republic Days parade along Duval Street.
Konk Life publisher Guy DeBoer worked closely with Peter Anderson since 2009, when Sir Peter was the first local personality to be approached as a host in the formation of Konk AM Radio; his show was called “Down in the Conch Republic.”
“He is always in my heart,” said DeBoer Wednesday.
The evening before Anderson died, the board of Reef Relief voted unanimously to continue Anderson’s appointment as the head of that organization.
Sir Peter was also well enough in recent months to visit friends in Costa Rica and to take a trip to New York City with Kate Miano to see his brother.
Key West Mayor Craig Cates went on record this year in Konk Life’s candidate Q. & A. series in selecting Sir Peter Anderson as his “favorite person in Key West history.”
Miano shared with Konk Life what Sir Peter shared with her as his choice of epitaph for a life well lived: “He Had Fun.”

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