Peter Wayne King

Peter Wayne King, 89, of The Villages, Florida, died Monday, June 1, 2026, at The Villages Hospice House after a brief and unexpected battle with lung cancer.

Pete was born on September 23, 1936, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Ralph and Ann (Boyce) King. He grew up in Great Falls, Montana, where many of his earliest memories were made accompanying his father on trips across the plains as they conducted business for the Great Falls Stock Yards, which Ralph owned. Those trips became an education no classroom could provide. Along the way, Pete learned the ins and outs of business, the value of hard work, and the practical lessons about life that he carried with him for the next eight decades.

He graduated from Great Falls Central Catholic High School in 1954, where he played center on what was considered one of the finest football teams in the state. Though undersized for the position, his toughness earned him the nickname "Rocky." He later graduated from Gonzaga University in 1958 with a degree in accounting. As a member of Gonzaga's Army ROTC program, he entered the Army after graduation but served only six months on active duty as the nation was reducing the size of its military.

After earning his MBA at UCLA, Pete joined the First National Bank of Chicago as a loan officer. Over the next 23 years he rose to the position of vice president, taking particular satisfaction in helping businesses succeed. His clients ranged from meat packing plants and beer distributors to professional football teams, and he approached each relationship with the same steady judgment and integrity.

In 1961, Pete married Patty Jo Shea of Shelby, Montana. They welcomed their first son, Joseph, the following year, and five years later their second son, Michael. Together they built a life in Chicago's south suburbs—first in Park Forest for eight years, then Homewood for fourteen, and finally Flossmoor, where they spent the next thirty-five years raising a family, building lifelong friendships, and becoming deeply involved in their community. Pete and Patty Jo began spending winters in The Villages in 2003, and Pete made it his full-time home in 2021 after Patty Jo passed away in 2020.

Pete was an active member of the Homewood community, serving for many years as treasurer of the Homewood Police Pension Fund. At St. Joseph Catholic Church, he served on numerous committees and as a lector. He guided Boy Scout canoe trips, coached youth football at St. Joseph School, and quietly gave his time wherever it was needed.

Later in life, nothing brought Pete greater joy than becoming Grandpa. He adored his six grandchildren and rarely missed an opportunity to cheer them on, whether at baseball games, volleyball matches, concerts, plays, or performances of any kind. Simply being there was one of the ways he showed his love.

He and Patty Jo traveled widely with friends in their retirement - all across America, Europe and the South Pacific.

Pete was a man of contradictions.

He grew up surrounded by cowboys but never cared much for horses. He was a devout Catholic and a man of deep faith, yet also a tremendous skeptic. He followed politics closely, though few politicians ever escaped his contempt. He loved discussing the state of the world and then, armed with the Jesuit logic he learned at Gonzaga, delighted in carefully dismantling everyone else's arguments.

While an athlete and sports fan, Pete never invested much energy in a favorite professional team, reserving that distinction for his beloved Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball program. He never cared much for baseball itself, yet faithfully attended every Little League game his sons played, took them to countless major league games, and spent endless evenings on Cherrywood Lane throwing batting practice.

Pete was an avid handyman, first out of necessity and later out of pride. Whether repairing something around the house or tackling a new project, he believed any job worth doing was worth doing well. When he finished a project to his satisfaction, he would step back, admire his work, and declare it was "just like downtown!" If the results fell a little short of perfection, he would shrug and pronounce it "good enough for government work." His sons liked to say that Pete never cared how much it cost to save a buck or how many extra steps he had to add to a project to make it simpler.

Pete loved good food and good company and rarely passed up either. But despite appreciating a good meal, he maintained to the end that boxed wine was every bit as good as anything from the finest vineyard and that one vodka was pretty much the same as the next. He considered it one of the great failures of his parenting that neither of his sons ever embraced either notion.

He was a serious man with a sharp wit built on sarcasm, but he could never resist having his photo taken while wearing a ridiculous hat.

He was also a man who was generous with his time and treasure, always ready to lend a hand or give a friend a ride. Throughout his life, right to the end, he was blessed to be surrounded by good friends.

Pete is survived by his two sons, Joe (Barb) King and their children Daniel, Kaitlyn (Kyle Scherle), and Dustin (Abby); and Michael (Caryn) King and their children Reyna, Colin (fiancé Katie Chyna), and Brennan. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Patty Jo; his parents; and his sisters, Jo Ann and Geraldine.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, at St. Mark the Evangelist, 7081 SE Highway 42, Summerfield, Florida. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, in Homewood, Ill.,

The measure of Pete's life was never found in titles or accomplishments alone, but in the countless small ways he invested in the people around him—as a husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor, and neighbor. His steady presence, sharp mind, and generous heart will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.