Obituary and Memorial Service

Memorial Service

Since Pete treated everyone like immediate family, we will be holding a public memorial service, so that all can share our love for Pete together. This is scheduled for Monday, January 9 (visitation from 4-6:45pm with a service to follow) at Becker Ritter funeral home. We also plan to hold a Celebration of Life gathering in spring or summer and will share these details in the coming months.




Pete's obituary is still being finalized and will be printed in the Sunday Journal Sentinel, but here is a sneak peek of what we have drafted up already:

Dr. Peter J. Holzhauer

Dec 22, 1944 – Jan 5, 2017

Born in Ipswich, England to Jack Holzhauer of Milwaukee and Joan Howard Holzhauer of Ipswich, Pete became a lifelong Wisconsin resident at the age of 3. Husband and best friend to Jane Russell Holzhauer, father to Brenna (Pete), Ryan (Denise) and John (Jane), brother of Mike (Beth), Mary, Patti, Paul and David (Sandy), in-law, cousin, uncle and great uncle to dozens of nieces and nephews, and beloved friend of many, Pete will be missed dearly. He battled aggressive cancer for nearly ten years, defeating many odds, and finally succumbed after spending the holidays with his family and friends.

Pete attended Christ King grade school, Marquette University High School (1963), Marquette University (1967) where he was a member of ΑΦΩ Fraternity, the Medical College of Wisconsin (1972), and completed his medical internship in Seattle, WA. He became one of the first practitioners of Emergency Medicine, a pioneer of the specialty, providing expert care, comfort, jokes and smiles to patients of all ages for over 40 years in Milwaukee and Brookfield. He was proud to be an active member of the Wisconsin Medical Society and serve as medical director for Milwaukee County and Pewaukee EMS.

In his free time, Pete spent as much time as possible at his farm in Southwestern Wisconsin, restoring the land, hiking the hills and valleys, and sharing this slice of heaven with family and friends for more than 40 years. Pete was a talented musician, and after an early career performing in folk groups and managing Milwaukee rock bands, he enjoyed playing the guitar for friends and relatives at any chance. Pete was also a photographer, pilot, traveler, camper, and adventurer, taking every opportunity to explore beautiful places, taste new foods, experience different cultures, and visit friends around the globe. He truly lived life to the fullest and is an inspiration to many, sharing his positive spirit, sense of humor, wisdom, and strength with everyone he met.

A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, January 9 (visitation from 4-6:45pm with a service to follow) at Becker Ritter funeral home.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please feel free to send donations in Pete’s honor to support some of his favorite causes:

Aldo Leopold Nature Center http://www.aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org/

Wisconsin Public Radio http://www.wpr.org/donate

Ocooch Mountain Rescue (Gays Mills Volunteer Emergency Medical Services, PO Box 204, Gays Mills, WI 54631)

Marquette University High School https://www.muhs.edu/support-muhs/give-now

Better Beyond

Pete passed away early this morning with his family at his side. He had a full day of saying goodbyes to many visitors and passed at home in his own bed, exactly where he wanted to be. He is no longer in pain, which is such a relief to all of us. We are going to miss him so much and are still trying to figure out what life is going to be like without Pete. We have each other and feel that support from all of you who loved him so much.

Pete is going to be cremated, and we are working on putting together a memorial service for immediate family as per Pete’s wishes. Stay tuned for details about Pete’s “Celebration of Life” next spring/summer, where he wanted his many family and friends to think of all of the good times, jokes, and happiness we have all shared with him.

Pete said he was going to a “Better Beyond” as we spoke our last words with him. He ultimately showed us he was ready, and we made sure he knew we were as well. He fought so hard for the past 10 years since his diagnosis, and had an especially tough time the past few days. We are so relieved that he is finally at peace.

Best friends forever

Hangin' In There

Pete's still at home and hangin' in there. He continues to sleep a lot, but has had some alert periods the last few days, hanging out, looking at photos, drinking limeade and hot cocoa, eating Jello, and even watching football. Last night, we lit a fire and all watched the first half of the Packers game bed-side together. Here's a photo from Pete's perspective:

Brenna, Ryan, John and other family have been taking turns at the house hanging out with Pete, running errands, going for walks with Jane, cooking, cleaning, etc. And a couple relatives and neighbors have dropped off delicious meals, which we so appreciate. Things seem stable for now, so we are just enjoying each other's company and trying to keep Pete comfortable.

Thanks again for all the support!

Feeling the Love

Since yesterday, Pete has been sleeping comfortably for the most part -- this is from a combination of the course of the disease and the meds required to keep him as comfortable as possible. The kids all came home Fri evening to help keep an eye on Pete and hang out with Jane. In addition to Jane's constant devotion and caring for Pete's every need,  plus our hospice team checking in, we are especially grateful to have John and Ryan and Denise's medical expertise and advice on-hand at all times. We have quite the team!

We are also feeling so loved and supported by everyone, friends and family near and far. Thank all for the kind words and comments and hugs and everything else. There really isn't much anyone can do at this point, but we know we can reach out to so many people if we need anything. It means a lot to know that we are in so many thoughts and prayers. Thank you all.

Today, we were completely blown away to see that this blog has had nearly 900 pageviews since we sent the link around on Wednesday! That's incredible! There have even been views from Canada, the UK, Mexico, Germany... the number of friends and family around the state and country and globe are such a testament to Pete and Jane and the whole family. We really are feeling all the love and positive vibes. Thank you again, and we will continue to keep you posted.

What we like to think Pete is dreaming about right now

Friday, December 30

 

   Welp, Christmas was crazy as usual, and we spent lots of quality time at home with Pete in front of the fireplace enjoying hot chocolate and each other. Pete got photo and video updates when we would return home after family parties. He really enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of the snowball fight (partly indoor) and the percussion jam sesh at uncle David's and photos with the Russell's. I think the craziness of the events replayed by us made him feel better about not having made it to the parties! Pete (and all of us) loved having Charlie in town as one of Pete's life-long friends (family).
(Some pictures above of Brenna's birthday kiss and some recent visitors- thank you again to all for your continued support and love.)

   Yesterday (Thursday), Pete had some good visits from family and friends. He was at one point feeling well enough to make a few jokes and smile. He has had increasing pain as of the past few days and it is getting more difficult to control. His spirits have fluctuated depending on the pain and of course Pete somehow continues to impress us with his sharp wits, memory, interactivity , and wisdom, despite all of the increasing medications.  His nurses and doctors continue to be very attentive with daily visits and they stay as long as they need to adjusting medications and trying to tend to any of his needs.

   Last night the pain was unbearable and did not allow Pete to get much sleep. The nurses came this morning and increased the IV pain pump basal rate as well as the "as needed" boluses.  This morning he required lots of meds to get comfortable, we are trying to hit the symptoms and pain from every angle and at times this compromises his sharp mind and his ability to stay awake, alert, and conversive, which we know is one of the hardest parts for Pete.  The delicate balance of reaching adequate pain control while trying to maintain his alert mental status has been growing more difficult by the day.

   At this time, 2pm , he is sleeping and seems comfortable. We are watching him carefully and tending to his needs, waiting till he wakes up to reassess symptoms, and if needed redose pain meds until comfortable, which may mean sleeping again.

   Jane has impressed all of us with her positivity, support, and strength.  It's sometimes hard to remember how difficult all of this is for her while Pete gets all the attention. The family has all agreed that we have seldom, if ever, met anyone as loving, strong, and positive as our mom.  It really cannot be put into words.  In addition to all of her daily duties, she has taken on the role of a nurse, doctor, social worker, pharmacist, and medical technician, and performs all of these flawlessly and gracefully with a smile, as though she has been trained for years.

   The team at Froedtert tells us they have been referring to him as "Miracle Man" given the complexity of his case, his strong will, uncrushable spirits and positivity, and his unrelenting will to survive every obstacle for the past 10 years.

    Please keep Pete and Jane in your prayers.  We will continue to update, please check back frequently.

Christmas Weekend

We've had a fun and busy weekend with the holidays and kids home and lots of friends and family stopping over. It's so nice to all be together for a few days. Pete has had quite a bit of pain since getting home from the hospital and has had trouble getting around -- possibly an injury (bone or muscle?), or maybe his back is still adjusting to his procedure. He seems much better today, which is such a relief. Maybe it's the sunshine and spring weather! The kids are going home today, so it will be much quieter around here, and we will see how things progress over the next few days. Fingers crossed that this is a positive result of his procedure and his relief continues.

Dec 22 Vertebroplasty

Yesterday (12/22, Pete's birthday) was a long day, but ended successfully. He underwent a vertebroplasty to strengthen his vertebrae and repair some compression fractures that have been giving him a lot of back pain lately. The surgeon also blocked his celiac nerve plexus (the main nerve trunk for most digestive organs) to minimize his pain from his large abdominal tumor. And finally, they inserted a PICC line into his arm so he can receive pain meds intravenously with a pump pack. He has a low-level constant dosage, plus a manual pump to quickly increase meds as needed.

The procedures went well, and so far, we are excited about the results. Pete has been up and walking around, and seems to be feeling much less pain most of the time -- great news! He came home from the hospital today (12/23) around noon, and is recovering at home with the family, and we are celebrating his belated birthday. Ryan, Denise, Brenna and Pedro have been around the past couple days, and John and Baby Jane will be joining us this evening.

Best birthday gift ever!

Walking upright!

Cinnabon from Ryan -- extra frosting!

Finally gearing up to head home -- the most patient patient with his favorite nurse