for pete's sake...

Story of a good friend of mine - I'll be at his benefit today...

On September 24th, 2006, Pete Samens’ life changed forever. That Sunday afternoon as Pete was out for a ride in the Germantown area on his 2006 Harley Davidson Road King, a driver in a pickup truck pulled out from a stop sign into Pete’spath. Pete and bike crashed broadside into the truck. Pete was airlifted to Froedtert’s trauma center with severe injuries to both wrists and arms. Miraculously, head injuries from the accident were minor. However, that changed dramatically while in the hospital recovering from those injuries. A chain of events on October 29th started with deep vein thrombosis and ended with a blood clot traveling to his brain causing a devastating stroke in his brainstem and cerebellum.

Pete and his wife Kathy have lived in the Lake Country area since 1981, first in Hartland and currently in Oconomowoc. They have two children: Ryan, age 25, lives in the area and works for Eaton Corporation in Watertown. Stephanie, age 22, is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and currently resides in St. Paul, MN. She works in Human Resources and Payroll for the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Three years ago Pete achieved a life-long dream of owning his own business. He became a partner in Wunderlich, Pearson & Tetzlaff (WP&T), a marketing and advertising firm located in Wauwatosa. He utilized a wealth of knowledge and contacts, gained from working in the printing and publishing industry for over 30 years, to build his share of the business.

Nine years ago, Pete bought is first Harley Davidson, a Sportster, and was instantly drawn into the “Harley Culture.” He then progressed to a Dyna Wide Glide, and finally, his 2006 Road King. His favorite thing to do evenings and weekends is to rev up the Harley and explore the countryside.

A close second to riding his Harley would be golfing! Pete loves getting together with friends and business associates for a round of golf. In fact, prior to undergoing the surgery to repair his wrists, he said, “Doc, can you fix my golf game?”!

Pete loves life and interacting with people! He enjoys a good card game with his buddies, socializing with friends at Bertrand’s, and an occasional fishing trip when the opportunity presents itself. Up until the accident Pete was very active in the Business Marketing Association – Milwaukee, having recently accepted a board position. He volunteered several times a month at the Rescue Mission in Milwaukee, where he formed life-long friendships while helping those in need.

All his life, Pete has strived for greatness, never settling for average. It comes as no surprise that he envisions himself with his golf game back, or cruising down the road on his Harley. Who could expect anything less from him?