WAKE ZONE: letter to editor #2
Remembering Pete Raubenheimer

Editor,

Some of you don’t know Pete Raubenheimer, but for the many of you who do, I’m sorry to pass on the sad news that Pete died June 10 from complications of prostate cancer.  He was 65. His funeral was at the Arizona National Cemetery for Veterans.

Pete was one of the guiding hands in Lawry’s push into the outdoor market. You may have seen him at some of the outdoor writer conferences or trade shows, apron on, cooking up food using his company’s products. He engineered hiring teams of outdoor writers to put on cooking demonstrations at various outdoor shows over the years.

Pete himself was a big lover of the outdoors, whether fishing or hunting. True to his nature, the funeral program had a photo of Pete on it with his black lab and a big Canada goose held up in pride.

A U.S. Army Honor Guard was present at the funeral as Pete was a Viet Nam Vet, having earned the Bronze Star. They presented his wife the flag they had draped over his coffin. At the end of the service, the family released symbolic white doves to note his passing.

When the doves were released, some of his hunting buddies remarked that the doves should have been pheasants. Two of his best hunting buddies were his son and grandson.

If you knew Pete, you knew of his sense of humor and how he was always sending out samples and recipes. As a sportsman, he was always in awe of the outdoor writers he met and worked with because, through them, he was able to enjoy the outdoors even more.

We’ve missed his dropping in the office now and then to grab a cup of coffee and leave behind some new spice or rub. I hope you had the good fortune to meet him over the years.

Mike Walker

Scottsdale