Obituary of Harry W. Peters

Portville – Harry W. “Pete” Peters “Beloved Husband, Father & Papa” Harry “Pete” Walter Peters, 75, of Portville NY, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his large, beautiful family on Saturday, September 17th, 2022. Pete was born in Bradford to John & Mary Hill Peters on October 7th, 1946. He attended the Richburg School system and later completed his GED. Coming from very humble beginnings, he worked tirelessly as an entrepreneur starting as a young boy, with a paper route and any miscellaneous jobs he could find. His strong work ethic continued throughout his lifetime. As a teenager he started working as a meat cutter for Smitty’s Meat Market in Bolivar and quickly secured a second meat cutting job at White Hawk Beef. From there he started his own deli and butcher shop, The Meat Market in Bolivar. This combined with his workaholic tendencies, lead to a plethora of businesses, such as Finer Subs and Pizza, Wooden Shingle Restaurant, Game Room, Dairyland, real estate purchases and finally his Pete-Za-Ria Restaurant and Wholesale pizzeria. His Pete-Za-Ria relocated from Bolivar to Portville to become WNY’s largest locally owned, wholesale supplier of pizzas. He was proud of his Pete-Za-Ria School Fundraiser Program that helped schools and organizations to raise funds with custom pizzas, while building community; he believed in community and supporting local businesses. If you have eaten a pizza at a local bar or had a fresh frozen prepared pizza from a local grocery, you have more than likely tasted the fruits of his lifetime’s accomplishment before his retirement in 2014….although he never really retired. Pete’s generosity did not end with the fundraiser programs, he was also an active participant for many years with The Masons, The Lions Club, The Shriners and The Salvation Army. He was known for his big heart, his generosity and for his love of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was a family man to say the least. With a very large and beautiful succession of family, he engaged each and everyone with his many interests and hobbies. He was well known for his construction capabilities in his real estate investments, especially his woodworking skills with decking. This skillset he passed down to his youngest son, Chad and several apprentices. His capabilities and sense of community led him to create the granddaddy of Christmas light displays the town of Portville has ever seen, on Pleasant Acres Drive. He was always creating opportunities for families and children. He and his family worked for months in advance to prepare for the Christmas Season light display for years. As a coin collector, he had a particular fondness for pennies, that he started collecting when he was 13 years old. Those pennies became a symbol of him, a timeless classic, that have an understated value. He was known not only to collect coins (especially pennies), but to create new penny keepsakes in diverse glass collectibles to offer them as gifts (of his affections) to those that he loved, respected or wished to inspire. Pete is survived by his beloved bride Mary Ann “Maze” Peters from Bolivar, wed on July 21st, 1990, in Bolivar United Methodist Church. Their total of 41 years together are leaving behind 6 Children: Jeffrey Peters (Carlos Perez) of Leesburg VA, Kathy Donovan (Ted Howard) of Smethport, Raleigh Dombek (nephew-like a son) of Phoenix AZ, Mark Burdick of Indonesia, Chad Peters (Melissa Doran) of Asheville NC and Melissa Richards (Paul) of Portville; 11 Grandchildren: Selena Perez, Reuben Donovan, Sidney Aronsohn, Mark Burdick II (Rheannon), Alexa Peters, Nolan Fish, Victoria Yates (Nathan), Cameron Richards, Ashton Richards, Lucas Richards and Isaac Richards respectively. 5 Great Grandchildren: Avery, Markie, Waylon, Sofia and Titus respectively. Also surviving are two brothers, John “Jack” I. Peters of Limestone and Miles Peters of Covina CA. Friends will be received at the Letro-McIntosh-Spink Funeral Home, Inc., 646 E. State St., Olean on Wednesday Sept. 21, 2022, from 4:00pm to 6:30pm at which time funeral services will be held. He had requested casual wear and to wear a piece of yellow, yellow was his favorite color. If you do not have yellow, please wear a bright color as he did not want dark or sad colors. Online condolences may be made at www.letromcintoshspinkfuneralhome.com