Peter F. Marcus, managing partner at World Steel Dynamics and the top predictor of steel industry trends for the past 50 years, passed away of heart failure in his home in Tuxedo Park on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. He was at 83 years old.
Peter lived with intense passion for his family, work, music and hobbies. He never retired and spent his entire life visiting steel plants in the unglamorous outskirts of every continent.
“I’m a juggler of ideas and a seeker of patterns,” he once said.
He loved writing reports, becoming excited about metaphors he created to explain pricing or dynamics like the “volcano” or the “death spiral.”
He was known for his enthusiastic support of his loved ones and those around him. His passion extended to all areas of his life including cars that always had custom stereos and extra subwoofers, stereophile audio systems, stamp collecting, chess and a diverse range of musical taste that spanned from Opera to Miles Davis, Bob Marley and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
He loved his motorcycles including Harleys and custom bikes. He was a highly skilled pool player who could clear multiple racks in a row. He loved applying English, which means he had a lot of spin on the ball, literally.
He loved his electric boat on Tuxedo Lake, fishing, and golfing.
Peter was a proud son, brother, husband, boyfriend, father, grandfather and uncle. He was determined, dedicated, and had unwavering advocacy for his beliefs. His sense of humor was keen, and he liked to start every speech with a joke.
Peter Ferris Marcus was born in 1938 to Albert V. Marcus and Ilo Freydberg Marcus and was the oldest of two children. After being raised in Mount Vernon, Peter went to Cornell, NYU Business School and was a First Lieutenant in the Armored Division in the U.S. Army.
He was the top sell side analyst with multi decade #1 ratings by Institutional Investor Magazine in Steel. Notably he and son Drew were both #1 in their respective industries at the same time, an especially proud moment for him. He worked on Wall Street at LF Rothschild and Paine Webber Mitchell Hutchins.
He founded World Steel Dynamics, a global steel research, banking, consultancy and event company that is known and trusted by senior management in the steel industry.
He married his high school sweetheart Susan Geffen and had two boys. They divorced after 10 years. He later married his beloved Marilyn, his wife for 35 years from whom he was widowed in 2007, and embraced his stepson, Todd, like his own. He was married to Diana Langer for 10 years before they divorced.
He is survived by his children Andrew and his wife, Catherine; Larry and his wife, Corinne; and Todd Schreibman and his wife, Marypat; his grandchildren Alexander, Olivia, Julia and Maxine; his sister Leslie Manes and her husband, Jack; and his devoted partner Harriet Levine.
He will live on as an inspiration and constant supporter for all who knew him.
In lieu of gifts, please make donations to the California Jazz Conservatory (www.cjc.edu) in honor of Peter Marcus.
A memorial service will be held in the New York metropolitan area on Dec. 5.
Arrangements by Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush, Inc. Funeral Home, Monroe (845 782-8185 or www.ssqfuneralhome.com).