Peter Bernard Fiedler

Peter Bernard Fiedler Jr., retired United States Navy Captain and longtime resident of Punta Gorda, Florida, passed away on September 23, 2026, two weeks after celebrating his 95th birthday.

Peter was born September 9, 1931, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Peter B. Fiedler Sr. and Margaret Julia (Zwoster) Fiedler. The son of a naval officer, Peter moved with his family to San Diego, California, when his father’s Navy service took the family there. He graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and later attended Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania before entering the United States Naval Academy. While attending Wyoming Seminary, he met Ruth Alden Bass.

Peter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1954 and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy. On the day of his graduation, he and Ruth were married. Together they raised four children during Peter’s long Naval career.

Peter served his country for 28 years, holding increasingly senior leadership positions in the surface and nuclear Navy. From December 1971 to March 1973, he served as commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Lawrence(DDG-4).

He was later selected as prospective commanding officer of the nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser USS Texas (CGN-39), overseeing the ship during its construction and preparation for service. On September 10, 1977, Captain Fiedler placed Texas into commission as her first commanding officer and subsequently led the ship through its initial testing, training and operational evaluation. Peter retired from the United States Navy with the rank of Captain in 1982.

Following his retirement from the Navy, Peter began a second career in the nuclear power industry with General Public Utilities (GPU). He was hired as Director of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, where he served for several years. He later moved to GPU’s corporate headquarters, where he held a senior leadership position in nuclear safety. Peter retired from GPU in 1992.

That same year, Peter married Judy, whom he had met while they were both working at GPU. Peter and Judy moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, where they made their home for more than three decades.

A love of the water was a constant throughout Peter’s life. An avid boater, he enjoyed having ready access to the water from his home in New Jersey, and waterfront access was again important when he and Judy established their home in Punta Gorda. He particularly enjoyed working on his boats, combining his love of the water with his natural mechanical abilities.

Peter had a lifelong curiosity about how things worked and an inclination to figure things out for himself. Mechanically gifted and famously thrifty, he much preferred repairing something to replacing it. His large workshop in Punta Gorda was well stocked with tools and an ever-changing assortment of projects. Those who knew him well also knew that Peter could sometimes be considerably quicker to begin a new project than to finish one.

For more than three decades, Peter was a faithful member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Punta Gorda, where attending Sunday services was an important and consistent part of his life. His retirement years were spent enjoying his home with Judy, their Maltese, Skipper, his boats, and the many projects that found their way into his workshop.

Peter is survived by his wife, Judy Fiedler; his four children, Bobbi Lynn Fiedler-Prinslow and her husband, Chris, of Monument, Colorado; David Bryan Fiedler and his wife, Kristy, of New Braunfels, Texas; Roger Scott Fiedler and his wife, Suzanne Kracke Fiedler, of Bremerhaven, Germany; and Jeri Ann Fiedler Edmundson and her husband, Jeff, of Dripping Springs, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, Raymond Fiedler; Judy’s children, Terry and Todd Tessmer; ten grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Peter’s life spanned nearly a century and was shaped by service, leadership, an enduring connection to the sea, and an abiding curiosity about how things worked. From the decks of Navy ships to the nuclear power industry, and finally to his workshop and waterfront home in Punta Gorda, Peter approached life in his own distinctive way—independent, resourceful, and always ready to figure out how something could be made to work.