Obituary of Peter Arthur Lehr

Peter Arthur Lehr (Pete), beloved first son of Wilbur and Clara (Foks) Lehr, passed into the arms of his Creator on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. He was born on February 10, 1940, in Buffalo, New York. Pete had been ill for several months and his body gave out to his declining condition. He did live to see his 58th wedding anniversary and 82nd birthday on February 8 and 10 respectively. Pete is predeceased by his grandparents, parents, many aunts and uncles, nephew, cousins, and friends. Surviving him are his brother William (Pat) Lehr; and sisters Shirley (Tom) Steinlein; Laurie (Don) Boye; nieces Lauren (Mark) Steinlein Dunn and Melissa (Jonathan) Steinlein Sullivan; nephew Thomas; great-nieces Lily, Nora and Neve; Natalie and Riley, and several cousins. Pete grew up in Buffalo, but his family later moved to Tonawanda. He attended St. Bartholomew’s Catholic School, Kensington High School, and after graduation from Kenmore High School, he decided to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Air Force where he spent the next 20 years of his life. He worked in Base Supply in petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL). His first assignment took him to Japan; then on to Washington, DC, where he met his future wife, Sandra Lancy; Ohio; France; Texas; South Carolina; Hawaii; and South Carolina again where he retired in 1979. At that time, he had an over-the-phone interview and, luckily, was hired by Pan American World Services at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. He was then employed by Raytheon Service Company for 17 years before retirement. Pete also worked for Lowe’s in a management position and retired in 2013. In 1987, Pete decided to go to college at Brevard Community College. He earned an Associate in Arts degree in 1989 and made the Dean’s List on several occasions. Pete and Sandra were blessed with two beautiful, successful, awesome, and wonderful daughters—Jennifer Leilani (Jeff) Barnes and Julia Elise (Scott) Marshall. The love of Pete’s life, other than his wife and children, was his smart, sweet, and amazing granddaughter Selene Barnes. She was the sunshine of his eyes and they shared a very special bond. He was extremely proud of all of his girls. Pete loved to bowl and scored 300 on several occasions. He played, softball, flag football, basketball, hockey, and racquet ball. Watching sports on TV, especially hockey and Duke basketball, was a favorite pastime. He was a very avid reader, sometimes 3 to 4 books a week, and loved working crossword puzzles, with a pen!! He was a whiz at playing cards and Pinochle was his favorite. He took card playing very seriously and knew what cards each player had. He was very active in the lives of his girls and was a designated driver for swim team, cross country, track, softball (also a coach), and cheerleading. He will be deeply missed. Pete was an Usher/Head Usher at St. Mary Church until he started to become ill. He and Sandra looked forward to the Fair where they spun that famous Cake Wheel and he loved his favorite sausage and pepper sandwich before going on duty. Many thanks to Pete’s caregivers, Yolande of VITAS and Nancy, private duty. They shared a special bond and provided love and excellent care of “Mr. Pete.” Thanks to VITAS nurse Nicole and massage therapist Tonia; all of Pete’s doctors, especially Dr. Robert Udell; Dean and Joe at Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home; and St. Mary Church--Deacon Mike and Sandy DiLago for their assistance in planning the mass at this very difficult time; Father Juan Osorno, celebrant; and Jose Velez, cantor. The family requests no flowers, but donations to your favorite charities. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Catholic Church in Rockledge on Friday, February 25, 2022, at 11:00 AM, with a short military ceremony immediately following the mass. A private family burial will take place at a later time. On a personal front, Pete had written “My Life” but never finished it. This is the last paragraph that he wrote that the family wants to share. “Did you ever rue the day you didn’t do something – anything? I think we all have had that thought. Well, I have a lot of thoughts about that subject and a lot of regrets, and like it or not, I’m going to share some of the cleaner ones with you now. Today I’m sorry I was never a really good student in grade and high school. I deeply regret not getting a college education because I could have done better with my life. I regret not being able to tap dance. Hell, never mind tap dance, how about not being able to dance at all? I regret never learning to play a musical instrument because I would have been great in “the pep band.” I regret never fully committing to anything. By that I mean, excepting my marriage of course and raising my children, never getting totally behind anything in my life. I regret never being able to blow a bubble with bubble gum. I regret trading in our 1967 Camaro for an Impala. I wish I had learned how to ride a horse.” “As adult human beings, we are the sum total of what we’ve done and where we’ve been. It is no accident we are who we are.”