Peter was born in Berlin, Germany on January 31, 1952. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1955, where they settled in Lansing, Michigan. Pete graduated from Haslett High School in 1970, and entered the US Navy in 1974, proudly serving until 1979 as an engineer aboard the USS O’Callahan. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Pete enrolled at Michigan State University where he majored in Communications and became a lifelong Spartan. Go Green! He worked in the communications and purchasing fields for most of his career and lived in Florida for several years before returning to Michigan.
Pete retired in 2017 and spent his free time keenly following the news, building model tanks and ships, and volunteering as an election poll worker. He was a voracious reader and could tell you anything you wanted to know about the Civil War and WWII. Pete was very close with his siblings and their spouses, and especially with his nieces, nephew, and their children. Pete was the consummate uncle, a title in which he delighted! Pete also rescued many cats and kittens throughout his lifetime.
Peter was preceded in death by his parents, Friedrich and Elisabeth Engel; stepmother, Anneliese Engel; infant sister, Jutta Engel; brother Juergen “Fred” Engel; and nephews David and Gerald Engel. He is survived by his brother Joachim “Joe” (Yvonne) Engel; sister, Christina Engel; sister-in-law Edwina Engel; nieces, Alissa (Philip) Durham, Laura (Christopher) Gross, Erika Engel, and nephew, Eric (Stephanie) Engel; great nieces and nephews, Kirsten Gross, Ethan Gross, Ella Linton, Maya Linton, Madison Engel, Matthew Engel, and Everett Engel.
A visitation for Peter will be held Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by a funeral service at 12:00 PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 205 E Washington, DeWitt, MI 48820.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to Hospice of Lansing Stoneleigh Residence or the Capital Area Humane Society would be a wonderful way to honor Peter.
