Peter H. Elebash

Peter H. Elebash passed away unexpectedly on April 19th, 2026 from a fall in his home, he was 89 years old. Born in Atlanta, GA on November 29, 1936, and raised in Florence, AL, Peter Elebash was the son of Edgar Elebash and Wilmer Hall Elebash. His older cousin, LeGrand Elebash, urged him to expand his horizons and pursue education in New England, and at age 15, Peter traveled to New York and on to The Choate School as one of the few southerners at the prestigious boarding school. Peter thrived at Choate, becoming a top student leader, the leading scorer on the basketball team, the captain of the golf team, and a solid trumpet player. He matriculated to Yale University in 1955 where his musical skills flourished and he formed The Yale Bullpups, a popular dixieland jazz party band that kept him and his bandmates on the road entertaining colleges around New England and jazz clubs in New York. With natural business acumen, he grew the Bullpups into two touring groups, enabling him to pay his way through Yale. As an ROTC graduate in 1959, Peter joined the Army National Guard in Columbus, GA, where he completed jump school at Fort Benning and was selected to be a Green Beret in the 20th Special Forces Group. While he was never called up to service in Vietnam, Peter’s unit was called to Tuscaloosa, AL to prepare for potential civil unrest as The University of Alabama was being racially integrated. Peter’s unit oversaw the peaceful removal of Governor Wallace from the university steps, and the opening of the school to its first African American students. After starting his married life in Columbus with Kathleen Hudson from Atlanta, Peter joined his cousin LeGrand’s business and further developed his keen mind for business and marketing. Under LeGrand’s tutelage, Peter became quite a “gentleman sportsman” with foxhunting trips to Ireland, and shooting trips to England and South Carolina quail establishments, and even an amateur bobsled run down the infamous Cresta Run in St. Moritz. Shortly after the birth of his first two children, LeGrand and Palmer, Peter left the family business in Columbus and joined the resort development team at Bay Point in Panama City, FL where he would begin a lifelong career in resort master planning, marketing, and sales. Bay Point provided the springboard for his next career move to the renowned coastal resort at Kiawah Island, SC in 1977 where he quickly rose to the position of Head of Sales. After Peter and Kathleen divorced in 1978, Peter immersed himself in the polo world, and moved to West Palm Beach, FL to assume the role as head of marketing and sales at the newly formed Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Wellington. As he rose in the ranks of amateur polo players playing alongside Argentinian pros, Peter remarried and had his third child, William Elebash, while continuing to develop a reputation as one of the best resort marketers in the country. He was known as an innovative deal maker and problem solver, using his expertise to shape real estate projects in Greenwich, CT, Vero Beach, FL, and Millbrook, NY among others. Peter was also a member of The Raquet Club, The River Club, Spouting Rock Beach Association, Society of the Cincinnati, The Reading Room, Millbrook Golf and Tennis Club, New York Yacht Club and Tamarack Preserve Club.

In 2001, Peter met Jane Dick Robinson through Lisa and Michael Carney (the Bandleader), and they enjoyed a full life in Palm Beach punctuated by summers in Newport, RI. Peter and Jane were active members of Family Church, and he dedicated much of his latter years to helping others find a path to Christ. In his memoir, The Last Resort, Peter shared his incredible life of adventures, and concluded by noting that none of it mattered as much as having a relationship with his Creator, Jesus Christ. In his epilogue, he wrote: “People ask me how I decided to become a Christian. My short answer is , ‘I tried everything else, and nothing else worked.'” Peter was a smart aleck at heart and was always the court jester if the room got too serious.

Peter is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Jane Elebash, his children: LeGrand, Palmer, and Will, and his grandchildren: Hudson, Chloe, Amelia, Ruthie, and Maverick. He will always be remembered for his sharp wit, well-rounded intellect, faith, kindness, and generosity.

A celebration of Peter’s life will be held on May 9th at 11:00am at Family Church Downtown, West Palm Beach. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Peter’s honor to Urban Youth Impact, WPB, FL.