Longtime ski coach Jeffrey J. Pier of Waddington, New York, died on July 4, 2014, in Potsdam, New York, of kidney cancer.
Born in 1959 in New Jersey, Pier briefly attended University of Maine at Orono before embarking on his career as a professional ski-racing coach. He led programs at Hidden Valley Ski Area in New Jersey, Ford Sayer Academy in New Hampshire and St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He also led many coaching clinics for the United States Ski Association, was national chairman of NCAA alpine ski racing and occasionally coached with the U.S. Ski Team. His accomplishments include coaching two racers to NCAA national championships. He and his son, Lance, recently finished climbing all 46 4,000-foot peaks in New York State and were inducted into the 46er Club.
After graduating from St. Lawrence in 2005 with a business degree and Clarkson University in 2010 with an MBA, Jeff started Liberty Tax businesses in Plattsburgh and Malone, New York. He is survived by his three children (daughter Jaleigh, son Lance, and daughter Talyne), their mother (Elizabeth Pier), his companion (Donna Mae Wolf), his parents (John and Jane Pier), and his brothers and sisters-in-law. —Diane Pier
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