Gregory W. Piasecki, 52, formerly of Haverford, creative entrepreneur, business leader, conservationist, and champion dragon boat paddler, died Saturday, Aug. 5, of cardiac arrest in Hanover, N.H. Mr. Piasecki had just finished a rowing workout and was stricken near the Connecticut River.
He successfully oversaw his family’s investment holding companies for eight years and served on the board of Piasecki Aircraft Corp., the company his father founded in 1955. In a tribute, his family said his business acumen “was grounded in a unique leadership style, unifying people of all ages and cultures with his enthusiasm, imagination, and positivity.”
U.S. Rowing is expected to name a boat in Mr. Piasecki’s honor at September’s world rowing championships in Belgrade, Serbia. “He had a lot of fans in the world,” one of his former coaches said. Mr. Piasecki sat on Hanover’s Upper Valley Land Trust board of trustees and the local school district’s equity committee. He became certified as a private pilot, joined the Upper Valley Rowing Club, and volunteered as a Nordic ski coach.