Peter Warren Goebel

Peter “Pete” Warren Goebel, 76, passed away on Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 in Martinsville, VA. He is survived by his wife, LuAnne, of Martinsville, VA; his children, Amanda (Aaron) Thomas of Charleston, SC, Adam (Megan) Goebel of Danville, VA, and Adrienne (Jason) Eggleston of Amherst, VA; his grandchildren, John and Benjamin Thomas, Lorelei and Tessa Goebel, and Abigail and Jase Eggleston; his brother-in-law, Royal Varner, and his nephews, Rob (Keri) Varner, daughters Flynn and Kate, and Chris (Christie) Varner, daughters Hannah and Riley. He is preceded in death by his father, Warren Percy Goebel, mother, Elizabeth Goebel, and sister, Martha Ellen Varner. Born in Buffalo, New York, Pete loved to play in the snow with his sister and discover local favorites like Beef on Weck. As he grew older, he enjoyed playing with his dog and harassing his sister, particularly with garden snakes, to let him borrow the car. While in high school, he became an avid wrestler, and while he never wrestled again, he was very proud of this accomplishment. When he graduated from Orchard Park High School, he traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to become a University of Wisconsin Badger and a member of the Triangle Fraternity. Before graduating with a Civil Engineering degree in 1965, he joined the campus ROTC. This love for his country continued when he joined the Army CORPS of Engineer, where he traveled abroad to serve as a paratrooper in the Vietnam War. When he returned from Europe, Pete went back to school to earn his degree in Business Administration from Long Island University. With his new degree and a connection to his newly married sister, Pete traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee where he started his lifelong career with DuPont. After a few years, he transferred to Wilmington, North Carolina, but his new little nephews and his love of Chattanooga brought him back. Lucky for him, this is when he met the love of his life, LuAnne, a blind date set up by a mutual friend. After a year of courting, they were married on October 12th, 1974 in Chattanooga. Six years and two children later, the family moved to Wilmington, Delaware where Pete continued to work for Dupont. Following the birth of their third child, he was transferred to the DuPont plant in Martinsville, Virginia where he would retire in 2002. While Pete took his work very seriously and loved what he did, he also dedicated his life to making his family happy. He was involved in every form of athletics and interests his children wanted to learn. He coached soccer through PYSL, basketball, softball, and baseball through Martinsville Rec, and even became a familiar face at every MHS football, soccer, and volleyball game his children participated in. He may have even been the first Dance Dad, supporting both of his daughters at recitals and competitions. He was active in various boosters even after the last of his kids graduated, and an award honoring his commitment was established within the Girls Soccer Boosters at MHS. But his time as a sport supporter wasn’t through. He loved to find ways to encourage and support his grandchildren - from selling girl scout cookies and wrapping paper, to going to recitals, wrestling matches, games, and lots and lots of birthday parties. His favorite past time was taking his grandkids shopping - letting them scour the aisles for the perfect toy or trinket. But really, he just liked spending time with his grandchildren. Pete was also passionate about helping others. He could be seen volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and serving on the board, and supporting various organizations throughout the community like the SPCA, the nurses at the hospital, and his friends at Kings Mountain Animal Clinic. If you couldn’t find him there, he was hanging out at Jerry’s Pizza and talking to anyone and everyone he met. “Just call me Pete” was known wherever he went and was never without a smile on his face. A celebration of his life will be held at Jerry’s Pizza in Martinsville, VA on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or your local SPCA. Per his wishes, his final resting place will be in Arlington National Cemetery, honoring his commitment and love for his country.