The Life of Peter Joseph McNamara
October 11, 2021
Peter was born on September 30, 1953, to Walter (Wally) and
Kathy McNamara in Waltham, MA. His life so heavily characterized by wit and
mischief began shortly after that.
As he went through childhood, he never encountered a sport involving a ball of any size that he could not accomplish and often excelled. On the other hand, he never encountered a childhood activity involving a tool of any shape that he could accomplish and most often ignored.
His parents expected all their children to find “paying jobs” …cutting lawns, paper routes, etc. Unfortunately, Peter never saw a future in newspaper delivery, lawn mowing or driveway shoveling. Consequently, a couple of bucks was never adequate incentive and his forays into any of these child labor programs always ended prematurely with his father and/or brother completing the tasks.
Fortunately for Peter and his entire household, he took to caddying at an early age. It paid a lot more money and Mondays were free golf Caddie Days. The latter benefit would eventually shape much of his life.
Most people who venture into golf never get it. Peter got it early and would play 54 to 72 holes every Monday to keep getting it better. His skill caught the attention of the Pro Shop as well as the top member golfers who were always requesting him. One of these members was Terry Frechette who would become a lifelong friend and the person who mentored him into his golf sales career.
As a player, he became captain of the Boston College Golf team, back-to-back Club Champion at Sandy Burr, course record holder (since broken) at Exeter Country Club, and a sought-after partner by many including another lifetime friend, Peter Lynch of Tedesco Country Club. His talent also allowed him to represent the Ben Hogan Company in a pre-tournament Pro-Am teamed with the former tournament great and Masters champion, Fuzzy Zoeller. After being introduced to the crowd on the first tee and hitting last, Peter proceeded to outdrive Fuzzy by at least thirty yards. Being Peter, he turned to Fuzzy in front of the crowd and said “Fuzzy, you drive the cart, I’ll drive the ball!” Halfway down Hole 1, Fuzzy stopped the cart and said “Funny…BUT NOT AGAIN!!”
In basketball, he both looked (hair) and shot (from anywhere) like former NBA legend, Pistol Pete Maravich. He carried his team at Xavier High School, played all four years at BC and enjoyed many years of adult ball with a bunch of fellow stud athletes and great friends in the various Waltham leagues.
His career in golf sales began with the Ben Hogan Company as the Tour Rep where he was once caught by Lee Trevino getting a back massage in his locker room…but Peter did not leave the room until Lee was laughing hard. He would continue with Hogan to become their Territory Rep in the Carolinas where he eventually moved from an equipment focus to a golf clothing specialist founding McNamara Associates and representing several companies as the industry consolidated. Recognizing the ups and downs of golf’s popularity and sitting in a down, he attempted to diversify a bit. It was a smart move to pick up this major promotional account but a little deceptive when he convinced his mother he was working with a major US company without explaining exactly what “Hooters” was all about. She was so proud of him!
After moving to Raleigh, he would meet and marry Marsha Sanders. Then along came their beautiful and talented daughter, Katie followed by identical boy twins, Michael and William. The boys arrived very early and only half their expected newborn size. But after many challenging months of parental support, the boys compensated for their slow start by growing past their expected adult size and not stopping until they became 6’5” scholar athletes who can only be identified by very few mortals.
Marsha and Peter separated as husband and wife when the children were in high school but to this day, they never stopped being Mother and Father to their children who are already enjoying successful careers while pursuing advanced degrees. There was never anything more important or anything he was prouder of than his family.
While the family remained in Raleigh (Katie now in Tampa), Peter moved down and retired early in Pinehurst staying in constant contact with them. There, he attempted a few start-up ventures like “The Shack” with another longtime friend, Danny. This snack bar by the field was modeled after the Little Nipper’s Shack in Waltham which was every kid’s favorite stop after a game. Unfortunately, changing circumstances and bad local timing killed his dream to bring a past joy forward to this new community.
But Pinehurst was otherwise very good to Peter. According to his extensive network of Pinehurst friends, Peter was informally known as The Mayor. He could be found volunteering on Little League fields, organizing events while networking in this golf mecca, enjoying the company of many Pinehurst locals and being “the best friend ever” for many. Following his passing, “Peter would do anything for anybody” was the phrase heard repeatedly by all who knew him.
We will all miss our special and rarely complimentary nicknames, but not as much as we will miss everything else about him. Peter's wit and ability to make anyone laugh will be sorely missed, and his selflessness and kindness will never be forgotten.
As he went through childhood, he never encountered a sport involving a ball of any size that he could not accomplish and often excelled. On the other hand, he never encountered a childhood activity involving a tool of any shape that he could accomplish and most often ignored.
His parents expected all their children to find “paying jobs” …cutting lawns, paper routes, etc. Unfortunately, Peter never saw a future in newspaper delivery, lawn mowing or driveway shoveling. Consequently, a couple of bucks was never adequate incentive and his forays into any of these child labor programs always ended prematurely with his father and/or brother completing the tasks.
Fortunately for Peter and his entire household, he took to caddying at an early age. It paid a lot more money and Mondays were free golf Caddie Days. The latter benefit would eventually shape much of his life.
Most people who venture into golf never get it. Peter got it early and would play 54 to 72 holes every Monday to keep getting it better. His skill caught the attention of the Pro Shop as well as the top member golfers who were always requesting him. One of these members was Terry Frechette who would become a lifelong friend and the person who mentored him into his golf sales career.
As a player, he became captain of the Boston College Golf team, back-to-back Club Champion at Sandy Burr, course record holder (since broken) at Exeter Country Club, and a sought-after partner by many including another lifetime friend, Peter Lynch of Tedesco Country Club. His talent also allowed him to represent the Ben Hogan Company in a pre-tournament Pro-Am teamed with the former tournament great and Masters champion, Fuzzy Zoeller. After being introduced to the crowd on the first tee and hitting last, Peter proceeded to outdrive Fuzzy by at least thirty yards. Being Peter, he turned to Fuzzy in front of the crowd and said “Fuzzy, you drive the cart, I’ll drive the ball!” Halfway down Hole 1, Fuzzy stopped the cart and said “Funny…BUT NOT AGAIN!!”
In basketball, he both looked (hair) and shot (from anywhere) like former NBA legend, Pistol Pete Maravich. He carried his team at Xavier High School, played all four years at BC and enjoyed many years of adult ball with a bunch of fellow stud athletes and great friends in the various Waltham leagues.
His career in golf sales began with the Ben Hogan Company as the Tour Rep where he was once caught by Lee Trevino getting a back massage in his locker room…but Peter did not leave the room until Lee was laughing hard. He would continue with Hogan to become their Territory Rep in the Carolinas where he eventually moved from an equipment focus to a golf clothing specialist founding McNamara Associates and representing several companies as the industry consolidated. Recognizing the ups and downs of golf’s popularity and sitting in a down, he attempted to diversify a bit. It was a smart move to pick up this major promotional account but a little deceptive when he convinced his mother he was working with a major US company without explaining exactly what “Hooters” was all about. She was so proud of him!
After moving to Raleigh, he would meet and marry Marsha Sanders. Then along came their beautiful and talented daughter, Katie followed by identical boy twins, Michael and William. The boys arrived very early and only half their expected newborn size. But after many challenging months of parental support, the boys compensated for their slow start by growing past their expected adult size and not stopping until they became 6’5” scholar athletes who can only be identified by very few mortals.
Marsha and Peter separated as husband and wife when the children were in high school but to this day, they never stopped being Mother and Father to their children who are already enjoying successful careers while pursuing advanced degrees. There was never anything more important or anything he was prouder of than his family.
While the family remained in Raleigh (Katie now in Tampa), Peter moved down and retired early in Pinehurst staying in constant contact with them. There, he attempted a few start-up ventures like “The Shack” with another longtime friend, Danny. This snack bar by the field was modeled after the Little Nipper’s Shack in Waltham which was every kid’s favorite stop after a game. Unfortunately, changing circumstances and bad local timing killed his dream to bring a past joy forward to this new community.
But Pinehurst was otherwise very good to Peter. According to his extensive network of Pinehurst friends, Peter was informally known as The Mayor. He could be found volunteering on Little League fields, organizing events while networking in this golf mecca, enjoying the company of many Pinehurst locals and being “the best friend ever” for many. Following his passing, “Peter would do anything for anybody” was the phrase heard repeatedly by all who knew him.
We will all miss our special and rarely complimentary nicknames, but not as much as we will miss everything else about him. Peter's wit and ability to make anyone laugh will be sorely missed, and his selflessness and kindness will never be forgotten.