Peter “Pete” H. Winkelaar passed away Oct. 15, 2021, at the age of 61, from COVID-19 complications. Pete was born to Paul and Elizabeth “Betty” Winkelaar on Aug. 27, 1960, in San Luis Obispo, California. Pete met the love of his life Debbie and they were married Sept. 10, 1981, in Bountiful, Utah. Pete and Debbie had two children, Amy Nicole McCurry, and Michael Peter Winkelaar.
Pete and Debbie and their two children moved to Tooele, Utah, in December 1994. Pete left his personal business to pursue employment with Christensen & Griffith, moving onto employment with Clean Harbors in 2005 as an instrumentation electrician. He was with Clean Harbors for 16 years.
Pete loved to be in the outdoors. He and Debbie enjoyed camping, hiking, backpacking, xc-skiing, canoeing, and hunting. He especially enjoyed spending time with his only grandchild Riley, who will miss him dearly. Pete always looked forward to the cooler weather. He loved to make a thermos of coffee and say, “Let’s go see the snow!” This was Pete’s favorite time of year. He had a sense of adventure and was always up for a challenge.
Pete was preceded in death by his father Paul Winkelaar and his mother Betty Winkelaar. He is survived by his wife Debbie, daughter Amy, son Michael, grandson Riley, siblings Marian Percy and Mark Winkelaar.
The family would like to thank all of the medical staff for the great care, deep understanding, compassion, and comfort at Mountain West Medical Center and the University of Utah hospitals during an incredibly difficult time.
A memorial to honor our husband, father, and grandfather, will be held Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at 3 p.m., at the LDS chapel, 1000 W. Utah Ave., Tooele, with a prior visitation at 2 p.m.