Leslie Shankman
Dear Bruce and Chris and Laura and Kids,
My thoughts and prayers are with you all this weekend as you honor your wonderful father and grandfather. I did not know him very well due to circumstances of distance. But I do have such sweet feelings about all the times I did interact with Uncle Pete. I remember Uncle Pete as having the quality of listening attentively. He listened in such a supportive manner and he had such an open and non-judgemental way about him. He seemed so easy going and relaxed to me. I always marveled at the extent of his talents and how he built his own boat! And I remember how he retired and followed his dream by buying the house on the Choptank. I remember visiting the "compound" soon after he and Aunt Mary moved in and being so impressed with their vision and the land and the buildings and all the opportunities the setting could afford your extended family.
And indeed it has been a wonderful blessing to have the next generation, and now more, be able to come together and learn from Uncle Pete and Aunt Mary and keep family traditions and talents alive and start new ones as well. He enriched you all with his talents and those qualities certainly live on in all of you. May his memory be a blessing to each of you.
Much Love, Leslie
