About Peter T. Milano

KIND AND ATTENTIVE

Thoughtful. He was always thoughtful.
 

The son of a good friend was starting high school. On the morning of the first day of classes, Peter T. Milano called the young man to wish him luck. At the end of the day, he called again to see how things went.
 

Arriving to take the commuter ferry to New York, Mr. Milano spied a pregnant young woman waiting at the end of a very long line, carrying a package. He whisked the package from her arm and escorted her to the front of the line and onto the ferry.
 

He never missed his son's basketball games, never missed his daughter's dance recitals. "He was an incredibly thoughtful guy," said William McGarr, a close friend.
 

Mr. Milano, 43, was a corporate bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald and lived in Middletown, N.J., with his wife, Patty, and their two children, Jessica, 13, and Peter, 16.

About 40 years ago, he played in a pretty serious touch football league in Brooklyn. The field was asphalt; when the game ended, you felt it. After a championship game, he was introduced to Patty, who had come to watch. He spoke to her only briefly. When he got home, he told his aunt, "I met the girl I'm going to marry."
 

During every workday, even the busiest and most stressful ones, he found the time to call his wife several times, just to hear her voice and see how she was. "It always boosted his spirits," Mr. McGarr said.

About Our Dad…

20 years ago, I stood in front of most of you, at St. Mary’s in Middletown, NJ, trying to tell a story about my father and who he was to all of us.

20 years later, my mother, sister and I still find it hard to fully tell that story without leaving out details, moments and memories.

But we want share just a glimpse into who he was… A small moment in time where a friend of mine, the best basketball player on the team, was at my house. My dad overheard him tell me that he would have loved to bring his bike over that day, but couldn’t. He didn’t have one.

That Saturday, without anyone knowing, my dad drove to his house with a brand new bike, dropped it off and left a note - “Next time, we’ll ride together.” AND WE DID!

He was just simply the best; and after all this time it amazes me that he continues to have such an everlasting impact on not only those who knew him, but those who didn’t. That fact shouldn’t surprise any of us who knew him. He was there, constantly present: a guiding force, a mentor, a friend and a shoulder to cry on.

We have gathered together for 19 of the past 20 years (and some of us even made it there last year during COVID!). Let’s do it one more time… But bigger. Bigger, only because he wouldn’t have it any other way. Bigger, because that was his goal in life and for every person he met. “Lift everyone UP” was what he would say, and for 20 years we have done that. We’ve lifted kids into a future they deserve. For that, we are so grateful.

And now, we want to hear from you! Your stories, memories and moments at the outing are the reason we’ve done this for 20 years. We’ve created a space for you to share your favorite memories of Peter, the golf outing or about the kids who we’ve helped!

Thank you, and here’s to our Pop, and all of those kids who benefited from his legacy and LEGEND.

Love you Dad.

- Peter + Jessica Milano