Obituary of Peter Strang Gunther

Peter Gunther July 22, 1942 – March 28, 2021 Peter Gunther, 78, of Westerleigh on March 28th. A life-long Staten Island resident, Pete grew up in Great Kills, the son of the late Nancy and James Gunther. A sweet and playful child, he kept his parents and siblings on their toes throughout his childhood. Pete graduated from Tottenville High School in 1960. His siblings recall him having a photographic memory and always being the first finished with schoolwork. He was considered their “human encyclopedia” because of his vast knowledge of different subjects. He could also be counted on to memorize the weekly TV Guide and tell you what was on each channel and when. Indeed, throughout his life Pete would rarely be without a book, and later on, a Kindle. Even in line at the supermarket, he was reading. Pete married Donna Daniels of Westerleigh on September 3, 1966. He was a loving, attentive husband for their entire 54 years of marriage. One of the happiest days of his life was their 50th anniversary, when they renewed their wedding vows in front of family and friends. Family was important to Pete. He was overjoyed when he and Donna welcomed son Kevin and took great pride in watching him grow up and start his own family. Pete was a hard and proud worker, sometimes working multiple jobs at a time to support his family. Pete was a longtime customer service representative for Staten Island Cable, where his extraordinary patience and calm demeanor served him (and those he helped) well. After his retirement, he was happy to become a full-time grandpa to his first grandchild, Leah, who spent many afternoons supervising as grandpa set up her pool, fixed her snacks, read to her, played ball with her, and, in the past year, helped teach remote school. Over the last five years, Grandpa never missed a basketball game that Leah played in, a school or church play, or a dance recital. Leah’s was Grandpa’s “piece of work” who convinced him to do things that made others caution him to please be careful, such as riding scooters, swinging on the playground, and riding roller coasters at amusement parks. To his credit, Grandpa kept up with her every step of the way. Pete’s grandson John loved his grandpa, especially when he would build out a train track set for him to play with, or fix his bed and dinosaur blanket for naptime. Grandpa was a favorite target for John to run full-speed into when he came into Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Sometimes those bumps would be followed by hugs, and sometimes John would keep going over and over again, usually taking a new toy each time and stacking it on Grandpa until he couldn’t move. Pete had a dry, witty sense of humor, and was always up for a good joke, even if it poked fun at him. He was the first to offer help to anyone in need, and could always be counted on for any favor, large or small. He found joy in life in both happy and tough times, was loved by many, and will be greatly missed. Pre-deceased by his brother Jim and his twin sister Patricia, Pete is survived by his wife of 54 years, Donna Gunther (nee Daniels), his son Kevin (Paige), grandchildren Leah and John Gunther, sisters Joan Cutting and Nancy Philbrick, brother Jeffrey Gunther, and numerous nieces and nephews. Pete was a dear friend of the Tavella and Trombino families. Visitation at Matthew Funeral Home on Monday, April 5th, from 4-7 pm. Prayers will be offered between 5-5:30 pm.