Pete's early years were spent in S. California followed by many years in N. California living on ranches with cattle, horses, and groves of orange and olive trees. In 1957 he moved to Chicago with his mother and returned to Sacramento in late 1959. While in Chicago he finished high school and worked part time assisting the manager in the apartment complex that he lived in with his mother. He also worked in his brother Dwight's music recording studio. Dwight was a leader of a band that played Big Band music and Pete would often accompany his brother helping to set up the equipment, stage, etc. Many future stars used the studios to produce demo 45 rpm records to send to record companies like RCA and Capitol.
Upon returning to California, Pete worked for the State Controller and graduated from Sacramento City College. He then attended Sacramento State College. After college he began a long career (38 years) with the Department of Motor Vehicles in California. Pete served 7 years of active and reserve duty with the United States Coast Guard.
Pete was married to Patricia Leonard in 1965 and they had a son, Craig, in 1967. They were married for 20 years. He married Samantha Karrie Schaeffer in 1988 and they remained married for over 30 wonderful years until she passed away due to cancer in 2019. They retired to Port Townsend in 2003 on a nice piece of property that had horses, pastures, fruit trees and a beautiful Victorian style home. They were fortunate to have wonderful friends and neighbors, especially the Harpers and the Richards.
Pete volunteered for many non-profit community organizations over the years which included: Chair of the Board for Meals-a-la-car, Committee member for United way (both in Sacramento), a Board member for Quimper Community FCU, Humane Society of Jefferson county and also Key City Public Theater. He was President of the California Motor Vehicle Managers Association.
Although his childhood was less than pleasant he had belief in God and held many good memories of a life shared with others and a love of animals. He tried to make life a bit better for those he met along life's journey. He will be buried next to Karrie in an old, beautiful cemetery in Kettering, Ohio.
A memorial service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Port Townsend on November 7, 2024
