Peter Victor Melrose
February 6, 1985 - February 20, 2004
Obituary
Peter Victor Melrose, age 19, won his last race on Friday, February 20, 2004. Peter is survived by his father and mother, Steven and Sylvia Heather; grandfather and grandmother, Hugh and Mary Ruth Melrose and grandfather, Paul M. Mulder; 3 brothers, Paul, Christopher and Marshall; 2 sisters, Stephanie and Elizabeth; several aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 25 from 12:00 Noon until 8:00 PM and Thursday, February 26th, from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM, prior to the Graveside Committal which will take place at 10:00 AM at BONNEY-WATSON Washington Memorial, 16445 International Blvd., SeaTac, WA 206 242-1787. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, February 26 at 1:00 PM at the University Presbyterian Church, 4540 – 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA. The family prefers memorial contributions be made to the Peter Melrose Memorial Fund at any Washington Mutual Branch.
I’m going to miss Peter and I didn’t even know him. I watched him race our Lindbergh boys many times, reminding me of Prefontaine – going flat-out from the start, relishing the pain he and his competitors shared. I wish that was the only way Peter was like Pre, but sadly, it’s not.
There’s a hole in the running community with Peter gone. We’ll never get to see him streak to the front of a college race and wonder if he can hold on to the finish. How much larger the hole in your family must be.
My condolences…
I hope that those who visit this site will also take a look at the extensive memorial web page I made for Peter. I am Peter’s uncle, Sylvia’s oldest brother.
Thank you.
http://www.geocities.com/powersupply01/in_memoriam_peter_melrose.html
The loss of Peter has taken more of a toll on me than any before. Although in the last years he had become closer to his fellow runners, me and Peter still shared tons of memories from prior and over the last 8 months and i honestly consider him my best friend over the first 18 years of my life. The amount of impact Peter made on everyones lives is indescribable. Everyone loved Peter so much, from the humor he brought out in life, to the memories he made from being the person he was. The memories i have of Peter are far and away some of the fondest i have of my life, from cruising through downtown Seattle just because, to the trip to Fatburger and back on lunchwithout being late, all the talks of fast cars, BMW’s, Mopars, all the memories we made with the videos of our cars, and so many more i could go on for days. Peter was a hero to me and to eveeryone who knew him. His loss is a cause of great pain to everyone, although im sure none as hard as that of his family. I wish them the best of luck and Gods presence in healing from the hole this must cause in the family. I will forever remember Peter and all the good times we had, and dedicate my successes in life to his memory, because i feel he will be at my side or watching from above as i make passes down the track, around the roadcourse, or down the freeway …. God Bless You Peter. I love you.
Andrew
Thinking of you.
Our hearts go out to all of you at this difficult time. Our prayers are with each of you.
Rob, Ann and Kasi Wells
May the presence of Jesus Christ sustain you as you grieve over the loss of Peter.
Peter was a wonderful and memorable young man. My deepest sympathy to his family. May your memories and faith sustain you during the difficult times ahead. Teresa Coda, former teacher of Peter
To the Melrose’s,
You have always been like a family to me through all these years. Peter was such an amazing young man and was always so fun to be around. I have so many track memories with him that I will never forget. May you stay strong through this hard time and turn to the Lord for comfort. I love you guys with all my heart and I will be praying for you. Love, Abby
He was always one of the coolest people at Cross-Country meets and he never let the rivalries between teams get in the way of friendships. His passing has sort of shaken the cross-country community, because that’s what it is. One of our own died on that Friday and he will be forever in our hearts.
May we remember him as he was in life- a great runner, friend to many, and wonderful person. You will be missed.
Steve and Sylvia, there just doesn’t seem to be the words to express the depth of my saddness for your loss. In thinking about all of you over the past several days, I was reminded of Peter with that impish grin on his face and the twinkle in his eye and the kind sweet spirit he embodied. I was thinking back to when he was born and how beautiful he was…..he will forever be in your hearts, as he will be in mine.
I pray for God to give you comfort and peace during these dark, troubling hours, days and weeks. May the Lord’s countenance shine down on all of the Melrose’s and give you peace.
God Bless,
Donna
Dear Steve and Sylvia…..”I can only imagine..what it will be like when I walk by your side…I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me……Surrounded by your glory what will my heart feel…Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still?”
We have so many memories of Peter and your family and traveling all over the country for X-country meets and track meets~~remember when Peter wore bright yellow spikes? He always had so much enthusiasm and he loved to bug all the girls.I remember when he became an All-American ,what an honor that was.He was blessed to have you as parents and to have such a wonderful family.We send all our love~our hearts ache with you.
I will miss Pete so much. I remember all the fun times that we had over the cross country season. I have so many memories of Pete, skatboarding around campus and his C-walk. He always loved to put on a show and would do anything to make people smile. I will always miss my friend Pete and think about all the great things that he would have accomplished.
Peter was such a sweet person. He always had a positive outlook on life and lived it to the fullest. He was always there to help and to listen. We always talked about what we would do when he came home from school but unfortunatly we never had the chance to hang out. He had so much love and passion for everything he did and i know that everyone he knew will carry it on forever. I know he will always be there to watch over and protect me. I love you and miss you tons. You will live in my heart forever.
Always, Forever, and a day,
Jessica
I am a former long time neighbor; and friend of the family. I can not attend the service, due to a previously scheduled business trip. My wife and I were on skis, east of Peter at the time of the accident, and could not help from noticing the activity and the “med-evac” plane. We did not see the accident, however. Our thoughts will be with the his family. Our condolences.
Ron & Betty Haworth
I don’t know how to start this…
I remember hanging out with Peter and Paul for hours while Steve helped me work on my car. We used to have a lot of fun talking about BMWs and driving. It was really great to have taken Peter and Paul out to the racetrack that one day. Peter spent the whole day riding in really fast cars around the track. He had the biggest grin on his face.
We’ll miss Peter. Holly and I haven’t stopped crying for several hours now. We’re so sad for you all and for his loss, a great person and a great friend. He was amazing and one of those truly kind people who make you happy to get to know them, and you don’t find those people very often. I can’t imagine what you’re going through but I hope the best for all of you.
While we haven’t seen him in a while, Holly and I feel like we just lost a younger brother. While I never got to see Peter run, I really wish I would have…
Our deepest condolences to all of the Melrose family. You are wonderful people and have always been kind and generous.
With Love,
Ian & Holly Alexander
To this day I am still in shock, Peter was to great of a person to be taken away from us so soon. I dont know if i will ever fully understand the reasons why he was taken. Peter changed many lives in his short time here, and he made everyones life better. I know pete will continue to look out for everyone. He was a great friend and a someone you knew you could count on. He will forever be missed but not forgotten. I will always have many great memories of times we spent together. Rest in peace good buddy.
I’m really sorry for your loss. Peter will be greatly missed. Eventhough we weren’t that close, 4 years of track and 2 years of cross county will form a bond between people. It felt like one of my brothers died that night. I will always remember him as one of the nicest guys at the meets. I already miss him alot. Runners here at school Eastern who didn’t even know him asked me about him this week so I am always thinking about him and the whole Melrose family. Hang in there guys, I’m praying for you.
Lots of Love,
Tori Turnbull
Although I never knew Peter that well, he was in a few classes of mine throughout middle and high school. I remember that he never missed a chance to make someone laugh or to be silly whenever he could. He never did anything to hurt anybody and was all around a nice guy. I want to send my condolences to the family who probably miss him greatly.
Lyndsay Johnstone, Class of 2003 and former classmate.
To Peter’s family, we don’t know you very well but our son Bobby, ran with Peter his freshman year,our hearts and prayers go out to you,What a wonderful young man,We’re so sorry and so sad,God Bless
Rest in peace, sweet child.
Your sudden departure from this earth made your friends very sad, but we know God’s love will see your family and friends through this hard time.
I met Peter last year in german class. Because there were only a few of us in the class, i got to know him pretty well. At the time my sister was going to CWU and I told Peter all about it. We had some good times in german, i remember the video’s he made and the way he laughed and joked around everyday. This summer he knew i was staying with my sister in ellensburg so when he came up he came over to her house to visit me. We talked about him going to CWU and I knew he would love it. He was a great guy and i will miss him very much.
I remember Peter from Hazelwood Elementry School and I remember him at Hazen High School. I didn’t know him that well, but it still took a toll on me knowing how young he was. He will influence everyone in some way or the other.
I know that you are in a peacefull place and you will be watching over us.
Suresh Class of 2001
Thank you for the great memorial to remember Peter. I was so encouraged to hear that I will one day see Peter again in heaven, as you will as well. I appreciated the focus on Jesus Christ at the funeral and telling us how he is helping you through this time. Thank you for giving me the pleasure of getting to know your family and share the fun times with your son.
Sylvia, Steve, Paul, Stephanie, Lizzie, Chris, and Marshall,
Our family is so sorry for your loss. We will have you in our thoughts, hoping that your pain will subside in the knowledge that you have one another to ease it. Your friendships with our family when we lived in Newport Hills was a real source a strength for us. No words can express our sadness for your family. Time will ease the pain, but will never erase the deeds or memories of your loved one. Our warmest wishes are sent your way. Love to you all!
My deepest sympathy for your loss. I didn’t know Peter, but I ride at Summit Central sometimes. I know the sadness from when we lost Josh 2 years ago. I sent matching gifts to both the Peter Melrose Fund and also to the JPW Foundation http://www.jpwfoundation.com to express my sincere condolences.
We are so sorry and hurt for your terrible tragic loss of a young member of your wonderful family.
Bill and Alma Davis
Sylvia and Steve and family — Words are hard to find at a time like this. We are so sorry for your loss. We have fond memories of Peter and your family as we came together many times in the running world. Alex was very sad when she heard about Peter. Bless you all as you deal with your loss and hold on to the love that Peter brought to your life.
Sandi Johnson, Alex and Sammi McKee
I already signed the guest book, but theres so many things i could say about Peter. All of our memories and everything we did together, like Pasco, and many cruisings with Pete, Pat, Sandra and me. I just wanted to say that you guys raised such a wonderful, talented young man. I am so honored that i got to know him. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family, always.
I just wanted to share a poem that i wrote.
You came into our lives,
You stayed by our sides,
You came and went,
With every memory spent.
You’ve touched so many lives,
With every single one of your strides.
Theres not much i can say or do,
Because we dont know how to live life wihtout you.
But we wish you the best,
In heaven you’ll see,
That forever in our hearts you’ll be,
Just spread your wings Pete,
And you will be free.
Peter was a great, smart, and caring person. I will never forget the memories of science class his senior year with crazy Mr. Zwick. Peter you will be missed by many!!! And I will never forget you!! With lots of love, always and forever,
Shawna Lynn
Tim and I knew Peter through our ten years involvement with Rain City Flyers running club. He was a gifted runner and an extraordinary person, who will be missed by many. Tim ran in the same age group as Peter. We made a contribution to the Peter Melrose Memorial Fund. Our hearts go out to you.
It is so sad to see such a young man leave so soon. I am to about the age of what Peter was and it is hard to see how people can die so soon.
My prayers to all the family and friends of Peter. I did not know him, but I knew a couple of people who did.
Peter- You will be missed. Your memory will live on threw everyone you have touched. Watch everyone while you are in Heaven and make sure they are doing what is good.