Peter
Julian Eymard Abresch, named after the French saint Peter Julian
Eymard, was born June 15, 1931 to parents William Abresch and
Gertrude Leverina Abresch in the city of Long Branch, New Jersey and grew up
in New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. He moved with his father
to El Paso, Texas after his parents were divorced. Pete quit high
school in 1948 to work in the Texas oil fields; however, he returned
to Staten Island in 1950 to complete his high school education. Pete
returned to El Paso, Texas and lived with his father while attending
college at Texas Western University (now University of Texas at El
Paso). He completed his degree in Geodesy so he could become a
Geodesist. A Geodesist measures and monitors the Earth’s size and
shape, geodynamic phenomena (e.g., tides and polar motion), and
gravity fields to determine the exact coordinates of any point on
Earth and how that point will move over time. Pete returned to Staten
Island after college and taught dance for 2 years at the Arthur
Murray School of Dance.
Pete
eventually got a job with US Naval Oceanographic Branch of the
federal government and travel through the Pacific Islands, Japan, and
other parts of Asia as his job dictated, performing various surveying
and navigation responsibilities. After a long trip in the Marshall
Islands, he came to Washington, DC to live with his sister Muriel. It
was in Washington, DC where he regularly attended Mass at Holy Trinity
in Georgetown. Pete was instrumental in starting the Catholic Club of
Georgetown where he met Annemarie, daughter of Anton Lang, Jr. and
Granddaughter of Anton Lang who were well known in the United States
as the famous impersonators of Christ in the Oberammergau Passion
Plays. Pete and Annemarie got married in 1960.
In
1962, Pete and Annemarie gave birth to twin boys, Peter Jr., and
Joseph, forcing Pete to sell his beloved Corvette convertible as
there was no longer enough room for the family. They moved and lived
in various locations including Georgetown and Suitland, MD. Pete
started writing short stories, mostly Science Fiction, during this
time and had many published, including some that were almost featured
in Outer Limits and Twilight Zone TV episodes.
In
1964, Annemarie gave birth to their 3rd son Marc while living in
Accokeek, MD. In 1966, the fourth son, Chris was born. Pete and
Annemarie moved to the old Belt Farm peninsula, just a stone’s
throw north of Broome’s Island, along the Patuxent River. It was
here that their 5th son, Stefan was born in 1967. The Belt Farm was
truly a place to live, where fresh fruit, nuts, and vegetables grew
wild, where fish and crabs were available with the mere dip of a net.
After numerous attempts to buy the Belt Farm, (owner did not want to
sell), Pete and Annemarie bought the old Weem’s house next to St.
John Vianney, just on the other side of where Suburban Gas sits
today.
The
Abresch family became parishioners to St John Vianney in 1965-1966,
when Father Naughton was the parish priest. Pete encouraged (we all
know what the means), all his sons to become altar boys and
volunteer around the Church as much as possible, including painting,
planting trees, cleanup, cutting grass, trimming bushes, cutting
trees, and filling in anywhere as required.
Many
parishioners met Dad either through his boisterous, possibly off-key
singing during mass, or with the Parish Council where he served in
various capacities for many years, in the St. John Vianney Men’s
Club, or through Cursillo. He also brought the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program to St. John Vianney. This program
brought many adults fully into the Catholic faith at St. John
Vianney, including daughter-in-laws, Toni, who was baptised the very
first year, and Kathy, confirmed a few years later. After leading the program for several years, Peter passed
the leadership on and then traveled to other parishes to bring RCIA
program to them. For his dedication to the Church and RCIA, Pete was
awarded the papal medal "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice." The
honor, which means "for the Church and the Pontiff," and is
only awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the Church and
the Pope.
Pete
continued to work for the federal government throughout his
professional career as a Geodesist and often traveled to many exotic
places, such as the Caribbean, New Guinea, New Zealand, Hong Kong,
Japan, Zaire, and often was away for many months of the year. In the
1970's, Pete went back to school and got a degree in Information
Systems where he transferred to a government job as a computer
programmer that kept him closer to home.
In
the early 1970’s, Annemarie had collected enough Kool Cigarette
cartons, no small feat as she did not smoke, to send in to Kool
Tobacco Company for a 13-foot, Styrofoam, lateen rigged, Sea Snark
sailboat weighing in at a mere 50 pounds. It was this small boat that
ignited Pete’s desire to sail, challenging his friends to many
races, using his sons as strategic ballast when required. He won the
coveted Port Tobacco Regatta, a trophy that is still proudly
displayed to this day.
Pete
became an active sailor and after attending a multihull symposium in
Toronto, Canada, became an active and vocal advocate of any sailboat
with more than one hull. Pete also returned with a set of blueprints
to a Norman Cross designed 18-foot trimaran which was built in the
garage with his sons in Prince Frederick. The Cross 18 sailed many
adventures along the Patuxent River and beyond with Pete at the helm
or his sons when he was stuck on shore with other responsibilities.
Peter
was a founding member of the Chesapeake Cruising Multihull
Association (CCMA) in 1977, which was a yacht club for multihulls in
the day when the snobby yachties refused to acknowledge or allow
multihull owners to join their club or participate in their regattas.
The CCMA evolved into the Chesapeake Multihull Association and still
flourishes today.
Pete
had other hobbies as well. After a 3-month trip to Japan, Pete
returned as an avid bonsai enthusiast, the art of sculpting miniature
trees that resembled life-size landscapes. Pete dragged his sons
across the country, digging up any tree that he felt could be molded
into this art form. He enlisted his sons to build a greenhouse and
sent them through the forest collecting mulch from specific rotten
evergreen trees that were said to be conducive to tree growth. Pete’s
bonsai hobby provided the basis of his published novel “Bloody
Bonsai.”
Pete
and Annemarie bought a parcel of land in a quaint community known as
Harbor Hills, along Long Cove, that was fed off of Battle Creek.
There, with the help of his 5 sons, friends, and anyone that might
have wandered too close, they built their house, known as “Shadow”
(after the hymn “Only A Shadow”), completing it in 1980. They
lived at Shadow until moving back to Prince Frederick in 2002.
In
the mid-1980’s, Pete and son Peter Jr. each built a 24-foot Trailer
Tri 720, a 9-month project that ballooned into 3 years of dedicated
boat building. These boats were fast and terrorized any sails on the
horizon as the race was always on. Pete maintained his love of
sailing, even after selling his boat, and often discussed the next
boat, the boat that would take him around the world, as most boat
owners often do, right up to his passing.
Pete
retired from the government, bought a camper and spent a year
traveling the United States with Annemarie. He returned home to
rekindle his love of writing, with many books published. Pete
continued as a fixture in the church community, participating in many
events and always sharing his opinion, whether it was requested or
not. ☺
Pete
was a select member of the “Chincoteague Men’s Fishing Group,” which he looked forward to every year. He regaled many stories but it
is still unclear if any fish were ever caught. It was the solitude
with friends and family that he enjoyed most and the fishing trip was
a means to achieve this.
Pete
was the patriarch of the family of 5 sons, 4 daughters-in-law, 6
grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Pete often vacationed with
the family, attended many beach trips, even though he was not too
keen about the beach. He joined the family on several trips to
Europe. He often sat around the campfire with everyone when camping.
The Abresch family was close and spent most holidays together.
Pete
lived his life well, he was devoted to his faith, he traveled the
world, he was a published author, playwright, a sailor, dedicated
husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. But it was
mostly Pete’s faith that allowed him to continue in the end. After
dying on May 2, 2021, and being resurrected minutes later, he had
recovered enough to have discussions with his sons, put his affairs
in order, and as always, making sure Annemarie would be taken care
of. He often commented that he was 90 years old, he had become tired,
and he was ready for the next life. Pete passed quietly, on his own
terms, on August 1, 2021.