Peter Lawrence

Banks

Peter Lawrence Banks, 80, passed away on November 10, 2026, following a lengthy illness. He was surrounded by his beloved wife, Beverly Coleman Banks, and their four children, Shereen, Kiara, Justin, and Owen.

Peter was born to Jack Banks Sr. and Carmen (Bobbie) Cantrelle Banks on January 16, 1946, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He grew up at the beach in Kailua and was a natural waterman. With his father Jack, mother Bobbie, and brother Skip (Jack Jr.) they sailed their Cal 25 and were fiercely competitive in races throughout the islands.

A teacher once wrote, “Peter has a fine mind, good memory, and a serious attitude towards learning.” In between surf sessions, he attended school in Kailua and joined the Navy Reserve his Junior year of high school. He was later honorably discharged and went on to attend Church College of Hawaii in Laie where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. While attending college, Peter began his banking career with First Hawaiian Bank.

Shortly after graduation, he met a summer tourist, Beverly Coleman of Wakefield, MA, who would become the love of his life. He followed her back to New England, where they were married on Friday the 13th of February, 1970, and began 56 years of adventures together. That summer, they explored all the free countries of Europe by backpacking on the Eurail.

They moved back to Hawaii and settled on Maui, where Peter continued his career in banking at First Hawaiian Bank. Living in Haiku, their family grew with the addition of twin daughters and two sons. His promotion to Branch Manager moved the family to Lahaina. With more time at the beach, Peter had time to play tennis and learn how to windsurf. He taught his children to love the water like he did, spending countless hours at the beach pushing boogie boards into the surf and teaching everyone to snorkel. Many weekends were spent on the sidelines of his children’s sporting events or watching his daughters dance hula.

Peter loved to camp, fish, and explore. He was always happy to share the Aloha spirit with visitors: sunrises atop Haleakala, the beautiful road to Hana, and sunsets over the ocean.

During his years in Lahaina, Peter was actively involved in the spiritual renewal movement of Cursillo which deepened his faith and enriched his spirituality for the rest of his life.

Peter was a handy guy with a well-used tool belt – building everything from his own surfboards to furniture to an addition to the family home. He often said, “Any job is easy when you have the right tools.”

In 1986 the Banks family moved to New Hampshire. Peter continued in banking at Nashua Trust for many years and remained active in Rotary.

Peter traded in his surfboard for a white-water kayak and enjoyed water releases and roll sessions with the Merrimack Valley Paddlers. During NH winters you could as easily find him skiing as on a New Year’s Day kayak trip with icicles in his beard. He enjoyed many camping trips with his family exploring the White Mountains of NH, extensive car camping trips in Maine and road trips to places like Florida, Niagara Falls and Canada. A highlight trip for the family was their epic mule ride to the base of the Grand Canyon.

After many years in banking Peter began the last chapter in his career as the Chief Financial Officer of the YMCA of Greater Nashua where he would work until he retired. On weekends he was often found on the sidelines of a soccer game or building a walkway or rock wall in his garden.

Once he was retired Peter stayed active in his community. He and Beverly moved to their lakeside home and would spend the winters on Maui. Together they enjoyed several cruises and would travel to see their children who were living all over the country and overseas.

In his later years he found much joy in his five grandchildren introducing that new generation to the things that he loved.

Peter is survived by his beloved wife, Beverly Coleman Banks, and their four children and spouses: Shereen and Eric Seibert, Kiara and Peter Bianchi, Justin and Heather Banks, and Owen and Daniele Banks. He was a proud grandfather to Conner, Amelia, Aeden, Cooper, and Colin.

He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Diane Banks; his brother-in-law and his wife, Richard and Nancy Coleman; and his sister-in-law and her husband, Nancy and Brian Lamson, along with many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family members. He was predeceased by his older brother, Jack Banks, Jr.

We are so grateful for the loving and professional care given by Peter’s caregivers and for Amedisys Hospice.

Peter will be greatly missed. As he would always say “See you on the water!”

Services will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua, NH, on November 16, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, consider a memorial donation in Peter's honor to Cure Alzheimer's Fund supporting research toward the prevention, treatment, and cure of Alzheimer's disease at https://curealz.org/outreach/in-memory/peter-lawrence-banks/ 

Assisting with arrangements is the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, Manchester. To view Peter's online tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.