WEBSTER - Peter Frederick Slota – husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend -- passed away March 30 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 75.
Peter was passionate about a lot of things, and compassionate to a lot of people.
He was full of energy and almost larger than life. If you got a gift from Peter, it was oversize and extra thoughtful. If you got a visit from him, “it was like a drive by,” said his sister Trish. His motto was “Go, show, glow and blow.” Then he was off to something either fun-loving or friend-helping.
“He was pretty much up for anything,” said his sister Mary. “Like the time he and Jared performed a water ballet in our swimming pool.”
He was “ungovernable,” said his daughter-in-law Erin. “But he also had patience, and an amazing wealth of knowledge.”
Meanwhile, he would step out of holiday gatherings to check in on folks he knew who didn’t have family to be with, Trish recalls.
And he was strong in a way that helped him face obstacles and make a good life out of it, said his brother Michael.
Peter’s convictions were powerful and he was only partly kidding when he wore a T-shirt that said “I’m not arguing with you, I’m explaining why I’m right.”
Peter was born in Miami, FL, on October 20, 1950, the son of Margaret M. (Ryan) and Henry P. Slota and soon grew up in Webster, MA.
He graduated from Bartlett High School in Webster. In a preview of his lifelong love of music, Peter sang in the choir at the 1967 Montreal Expo.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971 as an operating room tech, including one year in Vietnam – an experience that shaped his life dramatically and forever.
At Fort Devens, MA, he met Linda, the love of his life, and they were married in 1971. Soon they had a son, born in 1973, and were living in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I, where Linda’s family was residing at the time.
Peter learned to fly single-engine airplanes in St. Thomas and later earned commercial and instrument ratings and taught flying.
He also had his first operating room job following his military service, at Knud Hansen Memorial Hospital, where Dr. Heath passed along the “Go, Show …” motto that became Peter’s, too. Peter’s skills were put to the test when an American Airlines jet crashed in April 1976 at the St. Thomas airport, killing 37 and injuring more than 50.
The young family returned to Webster later in 1976, had their second son in 1977, and have lived there ever since, with recent winters spent in Bonita Springs, FL, and, since their retirement, extensive travel.
Peter recovered from alcohol dependency and became a beloved and dedicated advocate for hundreds of others, for decades. He was also very active in veterans affairs and was an early member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Peter served terms on the Webster Board of Selectmen and the Webster Housing Authority.
He worked as an operating room tech at UMass Medical Center, was a pioneer in the application of the internet to dealership car sales and founded a solar power installation company (perhaps before its time!)
Peter was an accomplished golfer, holding a single-digit handicap over many years and competing in Massachusetts State Amateur events. He drove a solar-powered golf cart.
Peter loved playing music and wrote several songs, including one called “All My Brothers,” and taught in the Guitars 4 Vets program. He sang and played in a few public settings, including nursing homes.
And, in some of the happiest times of his life, Peter was a doting grandfather to Henry.
Peter is survived by his wife of 55 years, Linda M. (Pavlick) Slota; his sons Jason, of Webster, and Jared, his wife Erin and their son Henry of Killingly, CT; his brother Michael, wife JoAnn and children Stephen and Shannon of Danielson, CT; his sister Trish, husband Don Stuart and their son James Hollingsworth of Webster; his sister Mary and husband Ernie Piper of Franklin, MA.
A celebration of Peter’s life was held May 23 in Webster.
Donations may be made in Peter’s memory to the Worcester Vet Center, specifying the Guitars for Vets program, 255 Park Ave #900, Worcester, MA 01609. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Scanlon Funeral Service, 38 East Main Street, Webster.