North Star Port

Peter MacLeod Clure, 59, of Duluth, a longtime pilot boat chief mate, maritime enthu- siast, and grandson of the late Arthur M. Clure (whose n a m e g ra c e s t h e D u l u t h S e away Po r t Au t h o r i t y 's Clure Public Marine Termi- nal) died March 28, 2026. C l u r e g r a d u a t e d f r o m Duluth East High School and earned a degree in political science from the University of Minnesota Duluth. An aficionado of all things related to the Duluth seaport, he spent many years working on vessels ranging from a Great Lakes carrier to pilot boats operated by Sea Service, LLC, in Superior. He was a core member of the International Shipmasters' Association (ISMA) Twin Ports Lodge #12 to the end. Nautical interests flowed through Clure's family, from his grandfather, an early proponent of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, to his father, the late Thomas Clure, an admiralty lawyer and Duluth Seaway Port Authority commissioner. In a 2022 article called A Seaworthy Crew by Patrick Lapinski, posted on positivelysuperior.com, Clure recalled learning about the ship- ping industry vicariously through visits aboard large foreign vessels with his father. The article focused on Sea Service LLC and its maritime service operations. As chief mate aboard the company's pilot boats, Clure put all potential distractions aside and made paramount transporting pilots safely, saying, "That's the top priority, and making sure that nothing goes wrong." Tributes from friends describe Clure as a "boat nerd" who enjoyed photographing vessels and collecting items related to shipping … and beer! He was a nationally recognized collector of beer memorabilia and a noted historian on Twin Ports' brew- eries. He co-authored Naturally Brewed, Naturally Better: The Historic Breweries of Duluth and Superior with Tony Dierkins and contributed several articles to the Breweriana Journal. Clure was a member of multiple breweriana organizations and a sales representative for Zenith City's Michaud Distributing, where he impressed customers with an encyclopedic knowledge of beer and all things related. Clure is survived by a sister, a brother, two stepsisters, and numerous close family members and friends. In keeping with the Clure family's long maritime history, memorials were directed to the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association (lsmma.com). PORT PASSINGS + Resat John "Turk" Diler, 66, whose career as a sailor spanned more than four decades and stretched from his native Turkey to the Great Lakes, died March 15, 2026. Diler's passion for sailing developed as a youth. Born on a small island off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, he graduated from the Turkish education system at the age of 14 and began sailing during his conscription in the Turkish Navy. He then sailed as a Turkish merchant mariner until he was 25 years old, when he jumped ship to pursue a better life in America. Diler gained United States citizenship in 1996 and settled in Minnesota as a proud American and Great Lakes mariner. He spent more than 30 years as a wheelman for the American Steamship Company before his retirement in 2020. Diler is survived by his wife, Dee, five adult children, nine grandchildren, and other family and friends who carry his proud legacy into the future. DULUTHPORT.COM | 5 In Memoriam PHOTO / Stephanie Judd Irwin

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