Paul C. Peachin

August 21, 1942 – August 30, 2026

Paul C. Peachin died peacefully on Sunday evening, August 30, 2026 at his beloved farm in Charlotteville, New York, surrounded by family, friends, and, fittingly, dogs. He was 84.

Paul was born in Chicago on August 21, 1942, to Samuel Peachin and Blossom Sher Peachin. He grew up in Highland Park, Ill., with his older brother, David, whom he loved dearly and remained close to throughout his life.

After graduating from Boston University, Paul worked for a large accounting firm in Boston. Inspired by his childhood dream of owning a “gentleman farm,” and encouraged by his childhood friend Jon Leon, Paul found his way to upstate New York and bought a beautiful farm in Charlotte Valley in 1970.

Paul married Gail Platt Peachin, and together they had two children, Isaac and Lily, whom they raised on the farm amid vegetable and flower gardens, creeks, ponds, a kiln, a cabin, chickens, quail, goats, sheep, horses, cats and dogs. Paul loved animals—often more than people—and horses and dogs were among the great loves of his life.

A CPA, Paul started a small accounting practice in nearby Worcester specializing in the needs of local farms and farmers. The practice eventually moved to Oneonta. After Paul and Gail divorced, he married his business partner Johna Cross Peachin of Peachin & Cross, which would eventually become The Peachin Group. Many of Paul’s original clients—and now their families—remain with the firm today, a testament to the strong foundation he built.

Paul retired relatively young. Following his second divorce and the deaths of both his parents, he packed up his horses and headed west.

“The Road Provides,” Paul liked to say, and for roughly the next ten years, he let it.

He traveled toward Arizona, where his brother lived, camping at horse-friendly sites along the way and riding daily. Eventually the road brought him to Boise, Idaho, where he felt an immediate connection. He bought a home and lived there for about 15 years, adding kayaking and cycling to his outdoor pursuits.

Paul could be a tough nut to crack. He preferred home to parties and animals to people, but the friends he did make tended to stay with him. As one of his oldest and best friends, Mickey Paradise, put it, Paul “lived in his precious private world.”

When Paul became ill in 2025, he returned to upstate New York, moving to Woodside Hall in Cooperstown to be closer to his family and the farm that remains their home base. After about a year there, his family brought him home to Charlotteville for his final days.

On the evening of August 30, family and friends were with him as The Last Waltz played. As Paul reached the end of his life, Bob Dylan was singing “Forever Young.” For those gathered around him, there could hardly have been a more fitting song or a more meaningful way to say goodbye.

Paul is survived by his son, Isaac Peachin, 53; his daughter, Lily Peachin, 50; his grandsons, Austin Earl Bias Peachin, 19, and Adam Michael Singer Peachin, 12; and his Terrier mix, Touhy, named after Touhy Avenue in Paul’s hometown of Chicago.

He was predeceased by his parents and his beloved older brother, David.

Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, September 6th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the family farm, 796 County Highway 40, Charlotteville, NY 12036.

Expressions of sympathy may be made at, www.hellerskinnerfh.com; the website of Heller & Skinner Funeral Home, 155 Main St., Worcester.