Peter David Loch

Pete fought a long and courageous battle with esophageal cancer. He passed with his loving partner of 38 years, Pamela Martin, right by his side. In the weeks before his death, he was surrounded by his loving family and friends who were proud to have been a very special part of his life. Pete had an unusual love of life and spent much of his time documenting that by taking photos that he shared with his family and friends. Those memories will live on with us forever, especially since we miss him so much.

He is survived by his parents, Colette and Andrew Loch, his five brothers and sisters: Tom (Geni), Donna Doolittle, Teresa Duke (Jeff), Jeremy (Lisa) and Mike as well as his lifelong partner, Pamela Martin. He had 15 nieces and nephews, 12 grand nieces and nephews. Pete was an extraordinary kind of uncle! Many of his closest friends were his nieces and nephews. To many of them, he was more like a father and friend than an uncle. He would take them out on bike rides, fishing and have them come and help out with projects around the house. Mostly, he would just spend time with them, listen to them and was genuinely interested in their lives. They all adored him! He has left many of them with life stories and life events that can never be replaced or duplicated. Our hearts go out to all of those kids for the loss they are feeling.

Pete had an unusual love of life. He documented this in photos he took along the way. He became quite a good photographer. He always told Pam there was “a magic hour” time of day. This time was during the hour of a sunrise, and of the sunset. This is when he wanted to be outside to make sure he didn't miss some kind of beauty this earth had to offer. His ability to notice the the most beautiful time of day and his willingness to get up early in order to not miss anything was evident in many of his photos. He was an explorer! He was out the door early, searching for something neat to see or some fascinating place to explore. Fortunately, Pete shared many of his photos with family and friends.

Pete loved the water. He loved fishing, crabbing or any other activity on the water. He took great pride in his boat and had it all set up just right for fishing. He spent many hours on the water with his friends, neighbors, and relatives and that was always a special time for him. Many of his friends who are also fishermen will never forget the fun and influence Pete had on their lives.

Pete was a great cook. He could cook the most perfect pot roast and steaks! He made so many wonderful dishes. He also loved to smoke fish and meat and it was always so delicious. Pete enjoyed buying nice cooking supplies and sharing what he prepared with others.

Pete loved to travel and see the world, documenting that in photos along the way. He and Pam were very fortunate to have traveled to many places like Hawaii, Mexico, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, Whistler, many different ocean beaches in Washington and Oregon and other local favorite spots like Seattle and Discovery Bay. There were cruises to Alaska and Mexico and week long houseboat trips on Lake Havasu and Lake Shuswap. While at any ocean location, there were many late nights spent in the car or on the beach enjoying the amazing beauty of the stars, meteor showers or whatever else the sky had to offer. He also had a great time snowmobiling in the Olympics, but he especially loved mountain biking which he was able to do in many locations in Washington, Oregon and Canada. These are all special memories for him and Pam, and for those who traveled with them. It was all so beautiful to him because of his love of this earth and he was fortunate to have been able to explore so many beautiful places.

Pete loved “stuff”! He was always into something new whether it was a new car or boat toy, electronic devices and most recently, his electric bike!! He loved to gather keepsakes from wherever he happened to be. He LOVED to shop for stuff and has a great collection to show for that. Pete was just fun to be with.

Pete was a hard working man. He had jobs in the concrete industry. In fact, Pete is honored and respected for having literally saved the life of two of his best friends and co-workers. These stories will likely be told at his celebration of life. As the stories are told, it is clear that Pete's prompt responses and great instincts literally saved their lives. Not many of us have that to say about the accomplishments we feel in our lives. Pete was also a painter, actually an exceptional painter! He took such great pride in his work and always strived for every line and every color to be just perfect. He was very proud of his work and missed that in recent years.

Pete was also a happy person and he had a really great smile! He loved his family. He loved his friends. And, he adored his dear Pammy. He felt fortunate to live on this earth where he enjoyed its constant beauty. He could find that beauty in the most simple of things. A sunrise, a sunset, a bird or fish or a caterpillar. Sometimes it was just the way the sunlight glistened off the water. The more simple, the more interesting and wonderful it was to him. Fortunately, most of us have a little piece of his concrete art, art work or a photo that we can cherish forever. Pete would be very proud of that.

Pete's family was so important to him. Even though he and Pam never married, the Martin family was also very important to him. He treated Pam's parents, brothers and sisters & nieces and nephews from the Martin side as if they were his own. He shared his love with all of us and we feel thankful to have been a part of his journey in life.

Pete was an excellent partner, son, brother, uncle and friend. He helped us to see and better appreciate all the beautiful and simple things in life.

His celebration of life will be held at the Capital Christian Church at: 902 Dekalb Street in Port Orchard on Saturday, March 18th at 2:00 pm. Please bring any photos and memories to share along with a potluck dish for this casual celebration (casual, because that’s the way Pete would have liked it!).

Please leave the family a treasured message on this site. Pete's niece setup a “GoFundMe” account in order to help Pam with doctor bills and expenses. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution at: https://www.gofundme.com/pete-pams-medical-expenses-fund