One year since we lost Pete

[Frank Rizzo]

There is a service for Pete tonight in Cali. Rest in peace friend, we miss you.

[ROGUEAGENT]

Life goes on. Remembering Pete Eiguren.
 
Today August 18 is a day that Pete Eiguren's friends and family will remember. It was exactly one year ago that Pete died of septic shock in a Cali hospital.
 
Pete was immensely helpful to his friends and acquaintances in learning about how to live in or find love in a foreign country. I didn't fully realize what an inspiration he was to me in this regard until after he was gone. But I have followed his legacy and have lived in Medellin and found love in Colombia. I moved into my new apartment just days before Pete died. I have lived here ever since, staying here 90% of the time and 10% in California.
 
I had the pleasure of living in Pete's spacious rented penthouse in Cali for over 6 months, and got to meet many of the special "cast of characters" that stayed there (or visited) from time to time. Several of these people, some of them my friends ever since, have gone on to have long-term relationships or become married or engaged to be married in the period of time after I was there (primarily May-October, 2005, and in April, 2006). I am sure there are still more success stories I don't know about.
 
I also had the pleasure of visiting both Pete's fiance Beatriz and Pete's son Barry in March or April of this year. Beatriz has done her best to get on with her life, as has Barry. She obtained a new, better job with a different hospital where Pete's memories would not haunt her. As you can imagine she is very sad today. We have been trading emails and instant messages by cellphone. And she has emailed me the notice for an evening church service, though I don't yet know how to post it here. I am sure today is difficult for Barry too, though I haven't spoken to him. I don't know what it is like to have had a father who was also my best friend, so I really cannot know what it is like dealing with this, for him. I only know I appreciate sharing a period of my life with Pete and hope he considered me a good friend. He was a big part of my getting the confidence to live in a foreign country. I don't think I told him, but I hope he knew that. Anyway, he was pleased with my progress.

For what it is worth, Beatriz can be reached at her email address:
beatriz.beticas36@gmail.com (using Spanish only)

Barry Eiguren's email address is:
eiguren91@yahoo.com

The website originally set up by Pete's family to discuss Pete's life is:
http://www.as-4-me.com/peteeiguren.htm


ROGUEAGENT

[valleydude]

Wow, has a year already passed?

I can remember Pete posting about Beatriz and I was really happy that he decided to pick her to marry. It seemed like a no brainer to me by the way he would talk (post) about her. She really seems like a super sweet, sincere girl and when I saw her pictures I was wondering why he was undecided.

Anyway; I could start rambling, but my point is that I remember wishing/hoping that I could get me a girl like Pete finally found (and some of you guys have) and now a year later I have her.

Ok, I better get out of here, you got me totally reflecting on life with this post.

V-Dude

[zack]

I'm glad to hear that Pete is being remebered in such a way. He certainly deserves it.
What ever happened with his penthouse in Cali? Is the new owner renting it to gringos like Pete did? Just curious.

[Kiltboy1]

I too think about Pete a lot. He was one of my best friends I met in all of my travels. Pete and I had some great adventures together in Cali, Cartagena, Medellin. Beatrice is a wonderful woman and I remember telling Pete when he was shuffling Beatrice and another woman at the same time," WTF are you doing son, you will ever find a better woman then Beatrice ". And that was true.
God Bless You My Man and I will have a nice glass of vino in your honor tonight !

KB

[pan de bono]

I only had the opportunity to meet Pete one time but i found him to be pleasant, funny, friendly, and an all around good guy.
he will be missed, God Bless you Pete.

[Frank Rizzo]

Only 1 gringo showed up to his 1 year service at the small church in the south of cali. Only 1 gringo showed up to his funeral.

[Rogueagent]

Now almost 14 years have passed. It’s been a very long time but I still think about Pete sometimes, and how my life has changed since.