Peter Whitman Stephens decided to take the long nap after a short illness on Friday, July 28, 2017.
Born June 11, 1958, at the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines, he grew up in Massachusetts.
Peter Whitman Stephens decided to take the long nap after a short illness on Friday, July 28, 2017.
He chose to go because he never let anyone or anything make him do anything.
Born June 11, 1958, at the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines, he grew up in Massachusetts.
Pete had the most amazing life. With a million dollar smile, a full head of hair, a great tan, a devil may care attitude, and a Golden Horseshoe, he lived more than anyone has any right to and loved every minute of it.
He had the voice of angel. He was an amazing tenor with perfect pitch. He loved to sing. We loved to listen. Every birthday was a treat.
He was a Boy Scout in Andover, MA, which fed his love of survival, wilderness, and the great outdoors.
He had a natural proclivity for pyrotechnics, which resulted in an invitation by the Massachusetts Public School system to attend school … elsewhere.
So, it came as no surprise when he became a demolitions expert as a U.S. Navy SEAL and saw part of Asia that we weren’t really supposed to be in. When they gave him an invitation to leave their country (and this planet), he kindly accepted a medical discharge and a neat little medal.
While attending college in Milton, MA, he met his bride of nearly 37 years, Carolyn, and knew after she chased him all around the quad for skipping class (She was a T.A.) that she really had the hots for him, and he was determined to marry her. If Pete set his mind to something, it was going to happen. Shortly after, they were married. A year later, they welcomed a daughter into the world. A year after that, they welcomed a son.
An amazing waterman, he and Carolyn had the first vending boat on Boston Harbor, the Roving Buccaneer. They sold cold Cokes, subs, and ice cream (when they could keep the children from eating the Nestle Crunch Bars) and saved many lives as first responders before the Coast Guard could get there. Pete rode that cabin cruiser through hurricanes and found on more than one occasion that he would end up the only boat in the bay to still be floating. He also spent time as a professional scalloper because the employee perks were too hard to give up for a seafood lover like him. Life just wasn’t as fun if you couldn’t get a little hurt doing it.
When they moved down to West Virginia to raise their family, Pete became a farmer. His dedication to learning all there was about farming made him a natural, and his learning experiences are the stuff of legend. He loved baby animals – kittens, puppies, calves, and lambs. He was extraordinarily tender and loving.
He loved the thrill that life offered, and with his wife, became the first paramedics in Williamsburg, WV.
He was a recipient of the National Life Saving Award when on a fishing trip off Cape Cod, he, along with his father, son, and friend, reeled in a rather waterlogged fisherman whose boat capsized.
He was also a great landscaper. His love for trees came early in life when he would shimmy down one to sneak out as a teen to hang with his friends. It gave him the appreciation for foundation plantings that led to his work for such celebrities as Pat Robertson of the “700 Club.”
Pete was an accomplished contractor who headed projects like the IFAW Whale Research Facility in Massachusetts.
He believed that there was no such thing as a misspent youth. The mistakes made were just test drives. He have everyone a chance, regardless of what was in their past. He was happy to sacrifice if it meant helping someone else. He took particular interest in giving youth the opportunity to learn how to be good people, shaping their character, and made such a huge impact in the lives of so many young men and women. He believed in teaching youth to work hard, save hard, and then play hard.
One of his greatest sources of pride was the success and self-sufficiency of the countless young people he influenced.
He was an amazing caregiver of his in-laws in their later years.
Pete was a great husband who definitely kept his wife guessing and on her toes. He truly couldn’t live without her. His love for her was fathomless. Their devotion was an inspiration.
He was a fantastic father who taught his children that you can’t take it with you, live every experience like it might be your last, and to live life with passion.
Love passionately, work passionately, fight passionately, and live passionately. Anything else is a waste of precious time.
He had a wonderfully brilliant, analytical mind, beautiful sense of humor, and razor sharp wit. And he had a great laugh. He really did. He was his daughter’s greatest fan.
Pete was an avid reader, loving all things fantasy. He loved puzzles and was constantly having to challenge his mind. Such is the burden of a genius.
He survived being shot, stabbed, shocked, kicked, and anything else that nature could throw at him. After 59 years of hunting, fishing, reading, learning, and living life like he stole it, it was time for him to move on.
Words simply cannot express how truly great he was.
He was preceded in death by his father, Whitman Garrick Stephens, and grandson, Thomas Whitman LaRue.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Elizabeth (Kevin); son, Peter (Jen); like-a-son, Jeremy Stout (Leann); like-a-son, Chris Gittens (Ashley); like-a-son, Chris Doolan (Crystal); his mother, Sue; aunt, Carol Thomas; sisters, Cindy (Roger), Kathy (Jim), and Sheryl; grandchildren, Tiffany and Levi LaRue; a future granddaughter; many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and his best employee, Clyde Hambrick. He also leaves behind so many people who he influenced and loved him so much. Pete was our hero.
A celebration of life will be held at Pete’s stage on Saturday, August 5, 2017, at his farm from 3-9 PM.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, August 6, at Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in Lewisburg, WV, at 2 PM with Pastor Danny Bostic officiating.
Flowers are welcome, but in lieu of flowers, the family requests financial contributions for expenses be made to BB&T account for Elizabeth C. Stephens in Frankford, WV.
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com.
Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Obituary originally published in the August 1, 2017 edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
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