Norwood Friends

Pete’s Appreciation

Tom Hall

I remember the many times we played neighborhood sports together. Pete was only one year younger than I and I will always remember the times we shot hoops in his parents’ driveway, played football in his backyard, soccer up at the park, and even some golf, also the many times we played baseball at the park. Peter was always a good friend to me and I will always remember his smile and his laugh. The loss that we share is deep; Peter was truly a great friend.

Ken Kates

Peter was a gem in the neighborhood. He really covered a lot of ground from sports to fun to competition to comraderie to diligence to art. Peter and I were in the middle age-wise among the neighborhood kids. We knew both the older and younger kids, so we never lacked for fun and games! Every season of every year the neighborhood boys played sports together: tag, baseball, wiffleball, street hockey, races around the block, soccer, football, basketball, pickle, hockey, sledding, snow balls, forts, badminton, swimming—it was idyllic and never ending. We also played indoor games as we grew up: cards, risk, pool, etc.

Peter and I share a few things that we were more serious about than the rest of the neighborhood boys and it formed a bond: 

A:   We LOVED BASEBALL:  We played an indoor game called Stratomatic Baseball at his house for years. That is probably how I got to know the legends—Lorice & Joe. 

B:  We played against each other in Sr. Babe Ruth League baseball. My team was coached by Vin Lembo, a neighborhood guy only 4-5 yrs older. We won the League every year and I pitched against Peter a few times. We’d laugh while I pitched to him to see who would have the bragging rights?! He was happy I walked him too many times!

C:  We both loved and were good at the neighborhood football games we played from ages 8-25. We had to generally be on opposite sides because we were too good to be on the same team! Not sure if that is true, but he’d like that I said it!

As we got to be adults, it was clear Peter was one of my closest friends and connections in the neighborhood. He was smart, normal, friendly, easy-going, loved sports and competition, was funny and generally loved a gathering. We reconnected in the last few years over GOLF! He and I were looking forward to playing with our brothers at Greenwich Country Club this year.

The last time I saw Peter in the fall he came to my Norwood house and watched the Pats with me and my 95, now 96 year old father—same house we grew up in. Then he joined us for dinner at the local Norwood restaurant—a great memory. Two of my own brothers passed away way too early, both younger than me: Tom Kates at 33 and Joe Kates at 38. Now, I have lost another brother: Peter at 62. Like with my own brothers, I will remember and talk to/of Peter often to keep him around and to celebrate and remember all the great memories and years and laughs and fun and activities/sports that we shared.

Bill Rumbel

Pete and I became good friends when we were 8-9 years old. I remember playing baseball, fumbles, and basketball with Gord, Little Mike, and others. We also hung out with Steve Reichert and did "stranger things." I realized early that Pete had the ability to connect with anyone, and people tended to gravitate to him.

As we got older we drifted apart but I do remember one unforgettable trip we had to Florida. Pete was taking a semester off his junior year and I was taking a semester off to save up and buy a motorcycle. We decided to go to Spring Break in March. At the time my brother was in the Marine Corps stationed at Cherry Pt., North Carolina. My parents said we could use the family car to drive to North Carolina, and then thumb to Daytona, stay a week, and thumb home. All made perfect sense to Pete and I.

We were running a little late driving through North Carolina and got pulled over late at night for reckless driving (we were going over 70, and we were Northeners!). The trooper brought us to the judge's house and he set our bail at $300. We paid the bail rather than sit in jail for two weeks waiting for our court date. We then continued on to Daytona with little money and no place to stay. But that's who Pete was, always up for an adventure.

 Lost him way too soon, a very special person.

Vin Lembo

Peter was a good catcher, played for the Cardinals in Babe Ruth League. I put him on the All Star team, must have been around 1972. He started our first game because he had caught the kid who pitched the game for three years. Got a lot of criticism for that but he played well. Good field, no hit kind of kid. We lost on a hotly disputed runner interference call. Still think we got hosed!