Published in The Washington Post on Dec. 28, 2003. PETER NICHOLAS KYROS, JR. 55, a former White House official, businessman and lawyer, died peacefully on Christmas day morning, December 25, 2003 at his home in Falmouth, ME, with his beloved wife Valerie, as their two children, Peter III and Caroline, opened their presents. The son of Peter N. and Alice Williams Kyros, he was born at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME. He graduated from Deering High School, Yale University and in 1975, from the University of Virginia School of Law.Politics were an early interest, and in 1966, he organized his college classmates to work on the election of his father to the U.S. Congress. For several years, he was a dedicated member of U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie's Washington staff. Peter worked on Muskie's senatorial and presidential campaigns, and traveled with Muskie to several foreign countries. He served on the staff of Muskie's Budget Committee. He worked on the Carter-Mondale presidential campaign in 1976. In 1977, he became deputy counsel to Vice President Walter Mondale. He was President Jimmy Carter's and Vice President Walter Mondale's principal staff member for the National Endowment for the Arts. He and Vice President Mondale later joined the Washington law firm of Winston & Stawn, where Peter served as managing partner. In pursuit of his love of the arts, he was also a trustee of the Joyce Theater in New York City. In the 1980s, Peter joined Potomac Development Associates, a real estate company that develops golf courses and housing developments throughout the United States and abroad. He became president in 1994 and traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe, while maintaining his office in Portland, ME. Peter was an active parishioner and current senior warden at the Episcopal Church of S. Mary the Virgin in Falmouth. His father said "Peter would always bring order both managing hard issues and in organizing for the battles ahead. Above all he had a reputation of being a wise, trusted advisor to those he served and to many others who sought his counsel. As a result, he formed a deep friendship with a wide circle of friends throughout the county". Peter married Valerie Beman, daughter of Deane Bemen, a world renowned golf champion in 1993. A Burial Office and Requiem will be celebrated Monday, December 29, at 10 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of S. Mary the Virgin, 43 Foreside Rd. Falmouth. A reception will be held following the service at the Portland Country Club.