Peter Douglas Wilk

On April 2, 2024, Peter Douglas “Pete” Wilk, waved on by the third-base coach of life, rounded third and headed home to score the winning run against his hated rival, Glioblastoma, before being carried off on the shoulders of angels to his heavenly locker room. When digging in for his final run, Pete could be heard to exclaim, “let’s do this”, in a stoic acknowledgment of his precarious position. Pete is survived by his wife, Erin, daughters Reese (13) and Casey (9), brother, David Wilk, and sister-in-law, Katarina Wilk.

Born April 22, 1965, in Cleveland, OH, to Ralph and Betty Wilk, Pete’s was a good childhood spent mostly in Barrington, Rhode Island, though not without tragedy and hardship. On March 3, 1976, at the age of 10, Pete and his older brother Dave, 16, lost their middle brother, Ricky, 15, after his heroic battle with Leukemia. But a strong family, led by WWII veteran Ralph Wilk, helped see the Wilks through such a difficult and harrowing time, intact and still tightly knit. Pete would use the memory of this experience later in life to champion actions in support of those suffering from Leukemia and their families.

After graduating Barrington High School, Pete attended Rollins College, where he would put together a solid collegiate baseball campaign for the Tars. Through college and his subsequent years soon thereafter, Pete recognized the need for young men to have strong leadership and guidance during such a nebulous period of life. He thusly eschewed an extended post-college playing career and put his hat into the coaching carousel, hoping to one day share his knowledge of baseball, the world, and humanity with said young and impressionable men as a head coach. After career stops as an assistant coach at Boston University, Harvard University, and Georgetown University, Pete was made a leader of men as the Head Coach of the Georgetown Hoyas in 1999.

During his 21-year stint on the Hilltop at Georgetown, Coach Wilk would not dally upon his historical accomplishment as the winningest coach in program history, with 426 wins. Nor would he focus on his personal achievements, such as getting the Hoyas back to the Big East tournament for the first time since 1986. Instead, he could proudly be heard extolling his players’ accomplishments and virtues as young men. He would often announce to friends when one of his former student athletes was drafted into Major League Baseball, a feat that was astoundingly accomplished by four of his athletes in 2019, a program high for GU baseball. His exclamation was not one of personal pride but that of a proud mentor. In said 2015 season during which the Hoyas returned to the Big East tournament after such a hiatus, Coach Wilk was proudest of his boys battling back from the adversity of an 0-10 start and the leadership of the young men in the locker room that led to said tournament berth. His students also received Top Ten APR (Academic Progress Rate) Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA eight times during Coach Wilk’s tenure, exemplifying his belief in his athletes doing right by life as much as, if not more than, by baseball.

After resigning his position from GU in 2020, Pete sought the next step in mentorship for burgeoning baseball talent. Such opportunity arrived when he was hired by the revamped Vermont Lake Monsters, a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, VT, formerly of Minor League Baseball’s New York-Penn League but newly affiliated with the Futures Collegiate Baseball League after Major League baseball’s reorganization of the minor leagues in 2020. Coach Wilk took the Futures League by storm. Reaching the zenith of his coaching accolades, under his skippership the Lake Monsters reached the mountaintop of Futures League baseball with a championship in Coach Wilk’s first year. Recognized as Manager of the Year twice (2021 and 2022), Coach would unsurprisingly see his boys to the championship series all three years he led the team. As ever, it was Pete’s insistence to heap all praise upon the hard work and accomplishments of the young men who gutted out each game. When they won the championship, during the presentation of the trophy Pete could be seen quickly handing it to his athletes, exuberantly exclaiming “This is for you!” He would later tell a friend that his only regret for that summer was that every young man who was a part of that team could not be there to enjoy the fruits of their labors, since they had to leave early for school or other commitments. By the time he passed, Coach Wilk mentored and positively affected the lives of over 500 student athletes.

Throughout his life, Pete would create a wide network of friends through an easy-going, immensely supportive, and understanding personality and a smile and laugh that were comforting and addictive. Yet he never failed to make each person feel appreciated on an individual basis. A friendship with Pete was often life-long and could span any distance. Despite living away from his home town of Barrington for decades, Pete never failed to keep up with his grade school/neighborhood/”klatch” friends. He made a point to keep in touch as often as possible, through texting or calling, almost on a daily basis, and visiting whenever he could get away. No matter the other myriad relationships Pete made later in life, his original hometown friends would always be his “varsity friends”, as he would affectionately refer to them.

With such deep, sustaining friendships, Pete was able to keep tethered emotionally to the New England area through the decades. No bond to home, however, was more important for Pete than that with his older brother, Dave. A constant source of support, Dave exemplified the Wilk way of steady love and care that has been so prevalent in the family. When speaking to one about the other, it is easy to feel the shared admiration and respect for their brother’s person that they both so obviously held. Dave and his wife, Katarina, always brought joy to the Wilk household when they came frequently to visit in Virginia, particularly for Reese and Casey. Dave stayed stubbornly by his brother’s side to the very end, an example of the steadfastness Pete so often typified himself.

Pete inquired more about a person’s family and humanity than he did about their profession, an unfortunate rarity in the Washington DC area in which he spent the majority of the last 27 years of his life. A loved member of the Camelot community in Annandale, Virginia, Pete sought every opportunity to support his Camelotian friends and neighbors, especially those in need. Whether through larger charity efforts or more intimate daily check-ins on a friend-in-need, Pete’s care for others, especially those who were struggling, was always above and beyond the call of duty, simultaneously encouraging both strength and self-compassion. When first diagnosed with a brain tumor, Pete beseeched the help of his friends to look after “his girls” and his brother, if the worst should come to happen. All knew that it would be tough to match his incredible example but that they would stop at nothing to make sure his family would be well-cared for.

Pete and Erin were married sixteen years. Thirteen of those years were blessed with their daughter, Reese, with the family being blissfully complete for the last nine years with their second daughter, Casey. Few people could match the strength of character of Pete Wilk. Erin somehow eclipsed it. Showing immense fortitude during Pete’s fifteen-month fight with cancer, Pete would very often remark to friends about “his rock”, Erin, and simply marvel at her resilience and ability to care for him and the family while also working fulltime. Beyond that, during the many years they were together, Erin proved the perfect match to Pete, occasionally needing to play foil to some of his admittedly more boyish and stubborn ideas and traits. They would often be heard to remark on how polarly opposite they would occasionally fall on certain aspects of personality. Yet the mutual love and respect each had for the other created an unbreakable bond and an incredibly positive example for their two girls. Reese and Casey, good genes notwithstanding, have shown their own unique strength and resilience in the darkness of recent days and continually honor Pete with such strength and incredible kindness that is both obviously inherent and learned from such rock-solid examples.

Pete spent his down time with a voracious thirst for knowledge, particularly for the subjects of World War II and baseball. He was known to opine that if he could not learn anything from a book or movie, he would be hard put to find interest in it. He helped found a small gentlemanly gathering group (not a book club!), during which the members would discuss shared literary interests centered around great historical events that may or may not have happened during World War II. Pete would also enjoy yearly trips to local Civil War battlefields with friends and to Williamsburg, taking advantage of his life as a Virginian surrounded by such incredible history. In his thirties, Pete embarked on a trek of respect and admiration to follow his beloved father’s footsteps through Europe during the second world war, from Normandy all the way through France to its culmination in Germany. A devoted son, Pete would call his parents every November 11th, among many other calls and visits throughout the year, and ask how his “favorite veteran” was doing.

As a teacher of baseball, Pete made sure to be an avid student of the game and its storied history, as well. In a game of Trivial Pursuit with his friends, if a question about his favorite sport was posited, Pete was automatic, which, added to an extensive knowledge of most other topics, barring science, helped lead him to many a victory over his wretched friends. Pete also received his master’s degree in Sports Leadership from Georgetown University while he coached there to enhance his tool cache for conveying lessons of life and leadership to his athletes. In all major sports, the Boston teams were his first love, particularly the Red Sox and the Bruins. However, Pete enjoyed sports most when he could share the experience, watching Bruins games with his daughters and going to baseball games with friends. One of his greatest joys was seeing how much the Lake Monsters community embraced his family and how much, as a result, his daughters found a new affinity for the sport he loved so much.

In recent years, like much of America, Pete became a lover of Bourbon Whiskey, E.H. Taylor being his uncontested favorite. He found great joy sitting around a fire pit with buddies at his side and bourbon in his hand, discoursing over both the erudite and the most mundane of topics. His was a passion for gathering people together, often as the driving force in get-togethers and celebrations. His refrigerator could always be found stocked with “purple drink” and iced tea. A grape sports drink was never far from his grasp. His palate for food was more limited, with adverse feelings to most foods that weren’t floppy bacon, breaded chicken smothered in marinara sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, or something decadent, such as cookies or brownies ala mode. As twilight set on Pete’s waning days, if one wanted to see him in flavorful bliss, one simply needed to offer him a milk shake. Pete’s taste in music was also similarly narrow yet incredibly deep. If all of life could have a classic rock soundtrack running constantly in the background, Pete would have been an even happier man.

Pete’s rallying cry during his unflinching fight against cancer was simply, “NUTS!”, an echo of the passioned reply from Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, commander of the besieged American forces at Bastogne in 1944, to the German demand for their immediate surrender. Much like McAuliffe and the Americans facing possible annihilation at the hands of a determined foe, Pete absolutely refused to even entertain the notion of surrender. As ever, he felt a deep responsibility to the ones he loved and those who looked to him for guidance to give his all and never cede any ground. He geared up, he dug in, he said let’s do this, and he died with his boots on. He was unique, an inspiration, a leader, a devoted father, husband, brother, and son, a stalwart friend, a compassionate coach, and a top-notch human being, and he will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, find a friend or even a stranger who needs help or guidance and offer them your hand. That’s what Pete would have done. If you feel the need to do more, please consider a donation in Pete’s name to the wonderful hospice facility that took care of Pete. This amazing facility and wonderful staff made him comfortable until his last breath. Their caring and compassion will never be forgotten. Tribute Lights (funraise.org)

Friends and family welcome for visitation on Sunday, April 21 from 1-5 pm at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center located on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Tpke, Annandale, VA 22003.