Negotiating another business deal in New York City, Dundas Grant Peacock pulled out a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and a bottle of bourbon from his briefcase, placing them in the middle of the conference table.

“He didn’t tell me he was going to do this,” said Dick McSorley, who’d helped him work out a negotiation strategy the previous night. “There were important people sitting around the table in coats and ties, and Grant was in a sports shirt and Western jacket.”

That’s when Mr. Peacock opened negotiations by announcing, “By the end of the day I’m going to need one of those.”

“Holy mackerel, that was very funny, if not unique. It disarmed people,” said Mr. McSorley, 71, a former employee and business partner of Mr. Peacock now living in Ligonier Township. “Grant was first and foremost an idea guy and loved doing business deals and loved the thrill of the process.”

Mr. Peacock forged a successful business career, with the occasional failure, involving a company that made caskets, another that manufactured shuttles and bobbins for the textile industry, with others that produced natural gas and coal. He also was lead investor in Weighco of North America, formerly the largest Weight Watchers franchiser in North America with 15 franchises, Florida to Alaska.

“The point is, he was an earnest planner in doing a deal,” Mr. McSorley said. “He didn’t do it on the back of an envelope, although he liked you to think he was doing it on the back of an envelope — that he was just winging it.” And once negotiations began, “he’d sit back, cross his legs or put his legs on the table and disarm you and act as if you were out for an afternoon soiree.”

Mr. Peacock died Dec. 31 in St. Francis Hospital, Greenville, S.C., of complications from pneumonia. He was 77.

The son of Scottish immigrants grew up in Edgewood, graduated from Edgewood High School in 1955 then Ohio Wesleyan University in 1959. After becoming a certified public accountant in 1960, he got his law degree from Dickinson School of Law in 1964.

In 1967, he married Nancy Bair Peacock.

As a tax accountant, Mr. Peacock worked for Price Waterhouse, Arthur Andersen and Coopers and Lybrand before joining the investment group Moore Leonard & Lynch. In 1974, he started Grant Peacock and Co., with a focus on private equity and leveraged buyouts.

“That’s the space my dad lived in the rest of his career, except for some entrepreneurial ventures along the way,” said his oldest son Bradley D. Peacock, 46, of Chicago. “Generally, he always was most comfortable as the quarterback. His theme song was, ‘I Did It My Way,’ and he always would say, ‘If you’re not the lead dog, your view is always the same.’ ”

With investors, he started the Black Gem Coal Co. in Kittanning and the Victory Energy Co. in Indiana County, expanding operations from two to 600 wells. He also was involved in the sale of the current Idlewild and Soak Zone to Kennywood while helping Kennywood to acquire the land eventually used for Sandcastle Waterpark.

“He had the ability of looking at a business opportunity in a different way by turning the diamond and looking through a different facet,” his son said, noting various business successes and failures. “He was always comfortable getting a business out of a tricky situation.”

In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 8-1 to settle the Thomas v. Peacock case in his favor, ruling that former employees couldn’t go after corporate officials for unpaid pension funds once Tru-Tech Inc., the shuttles and bobbins manufacturer, ceased operations.

The Peacocks moved to Chatham Village on Mount Washington in 1969 then Fox Chapel in 1971 before moving to Greenville in 1996. An experienced fundraiser, Mr. Peacock served on the executive committee of the Pittsburgh Symphony Board of Trustees and boards of trustees for Allegheny General Hospital and UPMC Shadyside, among many other philanthropic efforts. He also helped students, including one from China, to enter local colleges while helping pay their tuition.

“He helped educate a number of others along the way and ultimately looked back at those as the greatest accomplishments on his score sheet,” his son said. “Being self-made, he knew what it was like to have big dreams, and how hard it was to get there.”

Besides his wife and son, Mr. Peacock also is survived by two other sons, Douglas G. Peacock of Louisville, Ky., and Craig W. Peacock of San Francisco, and six grandchildren

DUNDAS GRANT PEACOCK

Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Jan. 4 to Jan. 5, 2016.

Pittsburgh native and Greenville business leader, Dundas Grant Peacock died on December 31, 2015, at the age of 77. The eldest child of Scottish immigrants, Dundas Peacock and Agnes R. Peacock. Grant was the first in his family to attend Ohio Wesleyan University where he was followed by his three siblings, Andrew R. Peacock, Sheila Peacock Allen and Alan W. Peacock. After Ohio Wesleyan, Grant successfully earned his C.P.A. closely followed by his J.D. from Dickinson School of Law. Although an accountant and lawyer by training, Grant was first and foremost an entrepreneur. The consummate "dealmaker", Grant successfully completed over 75 different business transactions over the course of his career. The opportunities ranged from natural gas ventures in Western Pennsylvania to Weight Watchers North America and entrepreneurial endeavors in the Far East. Being a man of principal, Grant pursued his belief in "what's right" all the way to the United States Supreme Court where his landmark business case was won by his close friend David Freeman. During his thirty years as a business leader in Pittsburgh, Grant valued giving back. He served on the Executive Committee of The Pittsburgh Symphony's Board of Trustees as well as the Boards of Allegheny General Hospital, Shadyside Hospital, Fox Chapel Country Day School, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When he transferred his energies to the Greenville area 20 years ago, Grant dove in with great passion. He mentored promising young leaders for the Liberty Fellowship and served as a Trustee of the St. Francis Hospital Foundation. His belief in the importance of the Arts led him to serve on the Boards of both The Greenville Symphony and The Peace Center for the Performing Arts. Finally, a big believer in the power of ideas, Grant enjoyed his seven years of service as a Trustee of Wofford College. Retirement was not in Grant's vocabulary. At the time of his death, he was enjoying the challenges and opportunities provided by 98 East McBee, a real-estate venture that he envisioned and saw through to fruition in the heart of downtown Greenville. Grant measured his success by the positive impact that he made on others and the friends he collected along the way. He drew great joy from helping his sons and young, visionary entrepreneurs realize their dreams. His generous spirit was felt by many individuals from Pittsburgh to China and points in-between. Ultimately, Grant's greatest achievement was his "clan", the three sons he raised with Nancy, his wife of 48 years; Bradley D. Peacock (Tracy), Douglas G. Peacock, and Craig W. Peacock (Yun). He also took great joy in his grandchildren, Tasker, George, Aly, Sam, Ben, and Emery. Grant played the "game of life" with optimism, a sense of humor, a creative spirit, character and the comfort of knowing that, in thick or thin, he did it his way. There will be a memorial service for Grant Peacock at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 2016. The family looks forward to receiving visitors following the service. Those who wish to honor Grant may send donations either to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2310 Augusta St., Greenville, SC 29605 or The Peace Center Endowment Fund, 101 Broad St., Greenville, SC 29601. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee. com. Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Jan. 4 to Jan. 5, 2016