He was the first born of six in New Plymouth in March, 1949 and sadly passed away after battle with cancer on April 26 this year aged 69.
While his early life was filled with farming and fencing, Pete later was involved in the meat industry and actually managed a freezing works in India for a time.
When he returned from India his travels brought him to Whanganui and to cut a long story short bought a pie shop in 2001 that was to eventually define him to a degree.
He aptly named the shop Pete's Pies. The shop was an old and almost dilapidated former home on Carlton Ave right near the intersection of Alma Rd.
The shop, with the aptly-named Pete The Pieman at the helm, became an institution with people travelling from all corners to buy one of Pete's famous homemade pies.
With Carlton Ave making up part of SH3, it was a convenient stop for long haul truckies who spread the word far and wide. Pete even had "Pieman" as his rego plates on his vehicles.
It was difficult to say whether it was the pies or Pete himself that formed the main attraction. Popular belief is that it was Pete and his humour that took star billing, although his pies were irresistibly tasty indeed.
In a radio advertising interview, Pete talked up his considerable selection of pie fillings, singling out his weight watcher's special. When asked what was in it, Pete replied, "Nothing, nothing at all."
Unfortunately, fire completely engulfed the Carlton Ave shop in 2010 ending an era that will be long remembered. Even now people still talk fondly of Pete's Pies and the banter they enjoyed when buying them.
A tragedy of the fire, apart from the obvious, was that Pete lost most of his artworks. He was an incredibly talented sketch artist with people portraits his favourite subject matter.
He loved golfing - although his prowess was suspect to say the least - and his fishing and for many years competed in the Wanganui East Club surfcasting competition camping out on South Beach with good mates for the entire weekend.
He caught the heaviest kahawhai one year, but as a close mate quickly pointed out, "yeah, but that was after 17 years of catching nothing."
But it was petanque that became a passion in latter years. Pete contracted the bug after playing petanque one year at the New Zealand Masters Games in Wanganui.
He then teamed up with more good mates and other petanque tragics at the then fledgling Wanganui East Club petanque adjunct. It was to become a winning move.
Pete The Pieman won many trophies, including club, interclub and national titles. He even represented New Zealand at international completion and in trans-Tasman events.
However, he was probably most proud when he won the 2012 New Zealand Men's Singles title when beating Wanganui East clubmate Dean Futcher in the final. It was regarded as a 500-1 shot that one, let alone both, making the national final.
Pete The Pieman Hamilton was seen off in spectacular fashion at the Wanganui East Club on Wednesday where the large crowd of mourners were ordered by family to belly laugh in remembrance of their late brother, father and grandfather.
