Peter Daniel Shemitz, 55, of Leawood, Kansas, passed away Thursday, July 2, 2015 at his home. Funeral services were held Friday, July 3, at The Louis Memorial Chapel. Burial followed at Sheffield Cemetery. Kindly omit flowers. The family suggests contributions to the Kansas City Wildlands program through Bridging the Gap www.bridgingthegap.org/donate (designate Kansas City Wildlands), the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/scu/snre or Congregation BIAV http://www.biav.org/donate/.
Pete was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Norman and Mary Shemitz. After graduating high school he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Hobart and William Smith College on the shore of Lake Seneca, in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}In 1990, he earned his master’s degree in environmental policy from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
While teaching at the University of Kansas, Pete met the love of his life, Flora Winitz, and they married in 1994. After marrying, Pete worked for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, first in the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and then in the Office of Environmental Management as a Resource Conservation Specialist and Director of the Leaves and Brush program. He went on to work for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. In 2001, Governor Holden appointed Pete to his Energy Policy Task Force, which traveled throughout Missouri holding hearings to develop a statewide energy policy. Pete moved into the private sector in 2007 when he took the position of Environmental Safety and Health Engineer, Senior at Lockheed Martin where he worked until February 2015. Pete also served for many years on the board of directors of Kansas City Wildlands, which focuses on the restoration of native habitats and ecosystems within the Kansas City area.
One of Pete’s most rewarding hobbies was researching and tracing his family’s genealogy back as many as seven generations. Pete was a bibliophile: he and Flora enjoyed spending time perusing used book stores throughout the country and their home is filled with books. But Pete’s primary focus was always Flora and their three children: Adam, Dylan and Stefanie Autumn. The family enjoyed hiking and other outdoor activities. Pete’s love of nature and passion for sustaining and improving the environment is what he will be remembered most for.
Pete is survived by his wife and children; brother: Jonathan Shemitz, Santa Cruz, California; sisters: Ellen Shemitz, Guilford, Connecticut, Leigh Shemitz and husband Chris Winters, Stamford, Connecticut; and parents: Norman and Mary Shemitz.
Condolences may be shared at www.louismemorialchapel.com.{/mprestriction}