03-07-2014
Jan asked if I
would share a few memories of Pete with you.
First, I have
Pete's Top 10 List, compiled by the members of Pete's inner "posse". You know
who you are (and you should probably be ashamed!)
----- Top 10 things Pete would say -----
10 - “I said mix
it up, not Muck it up!” football reference, obviously, edited for The
Harvest Chapel
9 - “Let’s go to
Vegas”
8 - “I seldom
drink beer, but when I do I prefer to drink a lot of it” I’m not
sure the word seldom belongs here…
7 – “Oh come on,
they’re ice cold”
6 - “Want to
order a pizza?”
5 - “Sad is the A double S that doesn’t rejoice” use your imagination
4 – “It’s OK,
I’ll do everything Jan” this was used for
instance when Pete was preparing for a cookout and was already doing 200
things, then Jan asked him to do ANOTHER thing, Pete would answer with “It’s
OK, I’ll do everything Jan” then
plod away, pretending to be downtrodden
3 - “What do I
know, I’m just a Bricklayer”
2 - “Stick with
the fat guy”
And the number
ONE thing Pete used to say - “Just one more”
Thanks to the
posse for compiling that list.
***
We gather here today
to give thanks and to celebrate the life of Pete Sinetos.
Pete raised his
boys to be 'stand up guys' and was the proud grandpa to their kids. He taught Phil and Nick the masonry
trade. Nick chose to stay in
construction while Phil became a Fireman and a Paramedic. Pete was very proud of them, that fact came
through every time he talked about them.
Pete found Jan,
the love of his life, about 15 years ago.
They adored each other and were in fact, inseparable. They did everything as a couple and enjoyed
every minute of it. And as a couple,
they were a sight to behold. We are all
thankful that they found each other and that they were so happy because they
both deserved it. Those 15 years were a
gift, for both of them.
Pete was sibling and
dear friend to his brother Andy and his sisters Beth and Penny. Seeing the Sinetos clan interact at a party
was always a good time in and of itself.
Pete was a
faithful son to his dad, Poops and his mom, Ya-Ya. Poops and Ya-Ya lived with Jan and Pete
before Ya-Ya passed away. Unfortunately
Poops is in Florida
Pete was very
close to his step children and their children.
They were brought together through Jan and kept close by what grew into
true friendship, admiration and love.
ALL second families would be lucky to get along as well as they did.
Many years ago, I
was out of work for a LONG, LONG time.
Pete was kind enough to offer me work as a laborer on a couple of his
brick jobs. For a guy like me who drove
a desk every day, it was NOT easy and I'm quite sure I made a mess of it. Those bricks are SO much heavier than
pencils! There were plenty of other, QUALIFIED
individuals that Pete could have employed instead of me. But Pete helped me out like I was his
brother. He didn't have to, but he did. He helped a friend in need. And for that I was always grateful.
Pete would help
ANYONE and he was famous for stopping along the road to assist any stranded
motorist. That was the kind of guy he was.
Once he pulled a girl from her car as it burst into flames. True story.
Another time he and another driver helped a girl in an accident escape
via her sunroof.
He was always
quick to help, no matter the circumstance.
Three of Pete's pall bearers are brickies, trained by Pete himself. Whether you were a relative, a neighbor, a
co-worker, even a complete stranger, Pete was one of the best friends you could
have.
A few memories I
was asked to share with you -
Nick remembered
that after singing a song, Pete would invariably ask - "pretty good,
right?". I remember one night we
had a karaoke party and Pete fired off a rap song, stunning everyone. And when he was done, he really was, “pretty good, right?”. Also, in a group of guys, if an exceptionally
attractive female came into view, Pete would signal for everyone to have a look
with a simple "HELL-o!" Guy
code. Same when two of his dogs got a
little too friendly with each other.
"HELL-o!" And he would
always make a joke about his own "girth".
When Pete was
doing the brickwork on Byron and Ashley's house and staying at the apartment
they rented, they thought their house guest was Partyin' Pete.
But he fell asleep in his chair every night.... at 8 o'clock! Turned out it was Snorin' Pete.
And Stacy
recalled when Pete was served red wine (not beer!) at a rehearsal dinner; he found
it to be too warm. So he
"Pete-ified" it by simply adding ice.
And then it was drinkable. Well,
almost. Pete was always Pete and always
found a way to enjoy himself. And Stacy
recalled his laugh which we can all still hear.
When Byron and
Ashley got married, Pete and Stacy's husband Mike picked up Jan's father Dick
(whom we recently lost) at the airport - in a Mustang convertible, with the top
down. Dick jumped in the back seat and
got the ride of his life. With Pete as the
instigator and Mike as the lead foot, they drove way too fast and way too
furious for Dick's liking. And Mike and
Pete laughed like madmen. Pete loved to have a good time and loved to give
Dick a hard time.
Pete was a guy
who really enjoyed life. I'm sure he had
some bad days, we all do. But he never
had one that I actually saw. He had an
infectious charm. At all of his
cookouts, Sox games, family get-togethers, he always had that 'let's have some
fun' approach. And it all started with
the smile. He truly never took a bad picture - we believe he really was a Greek God. Pete did his best to make sure everyone
enjoyed themselves. He was an excellent
cook and the brews were always cold. Laughter
and good times. And good times and
laughter. And when you got up to head
home, he always begged you to stay with the question "One more?".
Pete used to tell
the story of a Thanksgiving from his childhood.
He and an accomplice spiked his Ya-Ya's (grandma's) coffee. And Ya-Ya drank it and proceeded to get “Ga-Ga”. Pete and his accomplice had a good
laugh. Then Pete's dad Poops figured it
out, and he asked them, "All right,
what did you DO?", and that's when
the Poops hit the fan, so to speak.
Ya-Ya was unharmed. And you might
as well know, the accomplice was Andy.
Andy and Pete learned a valuable life lesson, but I forget if it was ' don't
get caught or deny, deny, deny '.
Maybe the real takeaway from this story is that it showed the trend that
Pete would follow for the rest of his life: he would always make sure that
people had a good time - whether they
intended to or not.
It's difficult to
accept that our dear friend is gone. Grief is
the price we pay for love, but no one expected this bill would come due so
soon. Nor could we have imagined the
breadth and depth of our sorrow as we sit here today.
And yet, Pete's
spirit lives on. Although he is
physically gone, he is as close as right here, in our hearts. The hearts that will never forget him. The
hearts that will never stop loving him.
The hearts that will never stop missing him, until we all meet again.
His spirit is as
close as the next White Sox game or your next cookout. It's as near as the love you show your family
and friends or the smiles on the faces of his children and grandchildren. That
voice, his voice, still speaks in the
ear of those dearest to him and they will hear it until their last day.
As hard as it is
to lose him, imagine the void in your life had you never known his million
dollar smile, his laugh and the kind soul who would help ANYONE in need. I ask you what you've probably already asked
yourself- but for the love of Pete how would your life be different today?
He taught us by
example, to be a good son, a good father, a good partner, a good brother, a
good friend, even a Good Samaritan. And
he was so good at it that we probably never realized we were being taught until
the day he was taken from us.
It's now up to
all of us to "pass it on".
It's up to us to enjoy each and every day that's given to us, to the
fullest, no matter how many or how few we might have, just as Pete did. It's up to us to help a friend. It's up to us the pass on all the good deeds
and the good spirit that Pete shared with us.
And it's up to us to help those closest to him go forward from
here. No brick wall was ever put up all
at once. And neither will your lives be
put back together overnight. From here
it's one day at a time, one brick at a time, one course at a time. The mistake would be to give up because
you're overwhelmed by it all. But by
taking one day and one task at a time, each day will get a little easier, I
promise you.
Jan, Poops, Andy,
Beth, Penny, Nick, Phil, Byron, and Stacy,
I speak for everyone in this room when I say - we are all as close as a
phone call or a text message. Please
lean on us. We will be glad to help. We WANT to help, for the love of Pete.
A little bit of
Pete lives on in each and every one of us.
And we are all better people for it.
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