A Tribute To Pete Lanzi

Peter E. Lanzi October 14, 1981 - February 4, 2001     I want to tell you about my student, my athlete, and my friend Peter Lanzi.  Pete was many things; a beloved son of John and Nikki, a loving brother of Dean and Tony.  He was a gifted student, a talented athlete, and a dear friend to so many.   My favorite movie of all time is the Christmas traditon, "It's A Wonderful Life." Although its nearly 55 years old, its meaning still holds true to this day.  In the movie we get to see how one man's life, George Bailey's, affected so many other lives.  Yesterday and today many got to witness how Pete Lanzi's life affected so many as hundreds poured onto Repeppi's Funeral Home and are here today to pay their final respects to a dear friend.       YES MY FRIEND YOU HAD A WONDERFUL LIFE!  THOUGH VERY SHORT IT TOUCHED SO MANY OTHER LIVES!   I tell my athletes all the time it's not the six minutes in a wrestling match that matters.  It's what you do in those six minutes that matters the most.  Let us not lean on our own understanding, and say that he only had 19 years.  Understand it was God's plan and let us focus on what Pete accomplished in those 19 years.       HE HAD A PASSION FOR LIFE.  HE LIVED IT TO THE FULLEST.   Let us not remember how he died, but how he lived!  We could all learn a lesson from Pete.  Life is too short to be angry, to hold grudges or harbor hatred in our hearts.  Life is too short to go a minute, a day, a week or a year without saying I love you to someone special.  We need to love each other as Pete loved us and God intended.  We've got to love each other like there's no tomorrow, 'cause when you get down to it, no one is gauranteed a tomorrow.   I got to wintess many times this love Pete possesed.  He would always give his father and mother a kiss and a hug and say, "I love you."  It wouldn't matter to him if they were in public or private.  This is a rarity in today's youth.  It is a rarity in today's adult.   Yeah, we could all learn a lesson from Pete.  To live life to the fullest and to love one another like there is no tomorrow.   I'll always remember...Pete's smile, his funny laugh, his warmth and compassion, his dedication, the way he and CJ and the Scalmato's ate me out of house and home, the Mohawk he gave me instead of the crew cut, how easy it was to con him to do yard work for food, all the great times we had, our daily lifting and power lifting meets with his parents and the boys, but most of all I'll always remember my friend Pete!   KEEP THE WEIGHTS RACKED FOR ME... WE'LL HAVE A GREAT LIFT AGAIN SOON!   Gary "BIG K" Kanaga