Norfolk, CT – Pieter A. Van Why of Norfolk, CT passed away in Greenfield, MA, on 11 April 2026 at 20:31:471 after a long illness. (1)
Pete was born in April of 1943 to John B. Van Why and Priscilla M. Van Why, in Winthrop, MA, while his father was stationed on Long Island, in Boston Harbor, during WWII. The family later moved to Winsted, CT then finally to Norfolk, CT.
Pete grew up during a time of strife in the country, sandwiched between WWII and the Vietnam war. In 1964, as the war raged and young men were being drafted to fight in jungles far from home, Pete had the wisdom to enlist in the Air Force instead of becoming cannon fodder in the army. He would end up working his way up to being Chief Master Sargeant, or an E9, the highest level an enlisted man could attain. Along the way, he garnered such commendations as the Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and many more. As was typical with Pete, he never once talked about these accomplishments. When I asked him about these, he told me, “I just did what I had to do.”
And he would continue to do just that.
After 21-1/2 years in the Air Force, Pete retired in February of 1985 and moved back to Norfolk, CT where the family had settled in 1959. Pete choose to give himself a demarcation line between the military and civilian life by embarking on a 5-month long through hike of the Appalachian Trail. This initial through hike would be the start of a lifelong love affair with long distance hiking and the AT in particular. It was during this hike when he got his trail name of ‘The Cheshire Cat.’
When Pete was forced by illness to give up hiking in 2020, he had logged over 18,000 (2) miles. While many would consider that an incredible number of miles, he still mourned the fact he wasn’t able to complete the Pacific Crest trail nor accrue the staggering amounts of miles many of the people he looked up to had done, some topping 45,000 miles.
We used to say we told him to go take a hike one day and he left for five months.
Throughout his life, Pete would remain goal oriented. Upon his retirement from the Air Force and subsequent hike, he enrolled in college for a few years He would accrue several degrees over those years of schooling, degrees that eventually landed him in his second career, this one with Sieman’s Measurement Systems Business (later becoming Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems) as a Senior Product Specialist. In this role, one he would hold for 25 years, he would travel the world calibrating high tech laser guided machines. Given his penchant for accuracy (we used to tell him, ‘Have a precise day!’) this role was right in his wheelhouse.
There’s so much more we could tell you about his accomplishments, such as pilot, flight instructor, world-wide travels, awards from the military and more, but that isn’t talking about the man. And he was a man that a lot of people didn’t understand at first.
His energy level was high, and his mind was keen and active, usually running several lengths ahead of whomever he may have been talking to. This at times led to him ending his side of the conversation first because his mind was already on to the next thing.
He never slowed down.
But, in 2018 he would receive a diagnosis of Atypical Parkinson’s, a condition caused by exposure to hazardous materials, something he was around for over 20 years while in the Air Force.
In 2020, as Covid 19 stilled the world, Pete retired from Pratt & Whitney and embarked on his next chapter. I would end up spending more time with him from 2020 to 2026 than I ever did in the previous decades. And as we worked together, I discovered the man that often moved so quickly most people never truly met him.
As I packed boxes, I found writings of his that were introspective and thoughtful. He had a skill with the written word that extended past his usual footnote laden Christmas letters. (3) And as I began to travel to Norfolk every weekend, I found he had slowed down to where he could and would enjoy sitting and having coffee and conversations. And during these conversations I found a man who had a quiet modesty about him, who was loyal to his friends and family, and who seemed genuinely surprised when I expressed thanks to him for all he had done for both the family and in service.
To Pete, his greatest achievement in life wasn’t the accolades or the degrees – it was the hiking he had done and the friends he made along the way. Pete valued those friendships, those connections deeply. The first 1985 through hike (he would go on to complete the Appalachian Trail three more times, in section hikes) would leave a lasting impact on him.
He wrote about what was a pensive time for him as he hiked through ‘the longest spring of my life.’ As the miles passed beneath his feet he thought about what he had done and what he had to do next. This may have been the first time in his life where he had the ability to slow the world down and focus internally. This time spent on the AT would help shape the rest of his life.
In 2020, he left Norfolk, CT and eventually ended up in Greenfield, MA near the home of his sister and brother-in-law. The Parkinson’s progressed in an inexorable march, eventually claiming him in the end. Much like his trail-namesake, the Cheshire Cat, he slowly faded away until only the grin was left. He retained his humor to the last, still managing to smile even as he drifted away.
I leave you with some quotes from Pete’s work – he wrote a 17-page paper about the Appalachian Trail upon his retirement from hiking the AT in 2016, when the Parkinson’s made it impossible to continue.
“A few summers ago, I’d just completed a 400-mile multiple-trail hike at the Canadian border, northern terminus of Vermont’s Long Trail. The next day – dreary and rainy – as I was road-walking through North Troy towards Newport for the bus ride home, I saw an old woman in an adjacent house watching me pass. For the remainder of the day, I couldn’t shake that image. I wondered if she had ever thought about going end-to-end on the Long Trail or thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail earlier in life and, if so, did she?
Why do this?
How to adequately convey a feeling with mere words? I’ll make a feeble attempt. Perhaps there’s too much materialism in our society and we occasionally need some decompression. What motivates apparently sane people to undertake such a journey? Certainly, couch potatoes need not apply. Make no mistake, it’s work, hard work, but to many it’s one of the most rewarding, even intoxicating, things we’ve ever done. But why? During the waning weeks of his life Paul Fink, the last living founder of the ATC , wrote from his convalescent hospital “I sit in this room with never a hope of getting out, with thoughts running through my mind of how delightful it would be to be lying by a trailside under a big balsam tree with no sounds unless it be the twittering of the birds and the rustle of the breeze in the tree branches above.” (4)
Much like his closing quote, there’s too much to convey about Pete with mere words. He was a kind man who loved animals, a highly intelligent and funny man, a loyal son, brother and friend to many. His passing will leave a hole in many lives.
It’s a life well lived when people mourn your absence.
Pete was pre-deceased by his parents John and Priscilla Van Why and his brother-in-law Jack Petersen. He is survived and dearly missed by sister Karen Petersen (Jack) of West Hartford, CT, brother John Van Why (Denise) of Ravena, NY, sister Sue Anne Van Why of Winsted, and Sue’s son Jesse Van Why of CT. He is also survived by and deeply missed by sister Stephanie Funk and her husband Edward Funk, of Greenfield, who were honored to be able to be with him throughout the final years of his life. Those last few years spent in his company will be cherished memories forever.
We would like to thank the staff at Charlene Manor Extended Care for their kindness and love toward Pete as his last chapter played out. We appreciate it, and I know he did as well. We would also like to thank both Compassus Hospice and Pioneer Valley Hospice for the care they showed to him and us throughout these last four years.
There will be no calling hours or a formal funeral. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Pieter’s honor be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Info can be found at Appalachiantrail.org. There will be a celebration of life to be held on August 22, 2026, at Norbrook Farm Brewery, 204 Stillman Hill Rd, Colebrook, CT from 1:00 p.m. until evening. (5)
Godspeed, Pete. May the trails always be smooth and the sun shine upon you forever. We love you.
1. If you ever met Pete, you would completely understand why this was written this way.
2. The number of miles hiked is 18,715, not including ancillary mileage ~ Pieter A. Van Why /’Thru-hiking The Appalachian Trail’/ v2016, /P1
3. We are going to miss those footnote laden Christmas letters.
4. Pieter A. Van Why /’Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail/ v2016/ P1
5. Because this wouldn’t be a proper missive about Pete without footnotes. There will be light refreshments served, and of course plenty of beers to toast his memory with. They are a Harvest Host member for those who may want to camp.
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