The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF LIEUTENANT PETER BLUME, JR.
______
HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I rise today in recognition of the loss of a champion of his community--Fire Police Lieutenant Peter Blume, Jr., of Vernon, Connecticut. Pete, as he was known, tragically left this world, still active in his service as a first responder, on March 2, 2022, at the age of 53. A guardian to his fellow service members, Lieutenant Pete Blume has served with the Fire Police company for the last six years. He was known for his particularly infectious degree of optimism and was eating to all.
Born to Carolyn Bolk Blume and Peter Blume on December 24, 1968, in South Windsor, Pete was destined to live out his life as a source of energy within eastern Connecticut's communities. Upon graduating from South Windsor High, Pete went on to Eastern Connecticut State University where he achieved a degree in physical education in 1991. A true steward of the community, he devoted the next nearly 20 years of his life to teaching as an elementary school physical education teacher for Ashford and Union, Connecticut. He was deeply passionate toward the growth of our region's youngest generation, engaging with students as a youth program leader, the coach for the Ashford boys' basketball team and even by taking on the title of Chef Blume as a cook for Union's annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
Amidst his earlier days in teaching, Pete fostered a relationship with the love of his life, Wendy, who he married in 1996. It was through their relationship that Pete's love for raising children transformed him into quite the family man, with the birth of their two children Allison and Timothy. Together, the family moved to Vernon, Connecticut where the children became an inspiration to Pete, catalyzing an entirely new era of community involvement. It was throughout this new era that Pete grew in his already known love for youth sports, coaching and volunteering for his kids' teams in Vernon Little League, Vernon Soccer and Vernon Basketball.
Pete's involvement with the Town of Vernon did not stop with his coaching the next generation. As we all know, he took an interest in and joined the Vernon Fire Department as a fire police officer, becoming the man responsible for the safety of fellow first responders at the scene of an incident. Pete was the perfect man for the job--he was the kind of person who would give you the shut off his back if you needed it. As such, he was known for bringing an unmatched sense of diligence and care to the role, which he took incredibly seriously. For Pete, the safety of those who displayed similar care toward his own neighbors was paramount. He was most recently recognized for his diligence, becoming a lst Lieutenant with the Vernon Fire Police company which he again served with for more than six years.
Madam Speaker, we ask firefighters and their families to do an enormously important job across our community, our state, and our nation. Standing by every day of the year at all hours, Pete, Vernon's
``gentle giant,'' has given true example to the dedication that first responders arm themselves with while serving their respective communities. In Pete's case, he was also armed with a heart the size of Vernon. These brave men and women unquestionably deserve the very best we can offer as a small form of gratitude for their sacrifice. While we mourn the void left by Pete's loss, we find consolation in the memory he leaves behind. He is survived by his loving family, namely, his wife Wendy, who is also a teacher in Manchester. his two children Timothy and Allison Blume, his mother Carolyn Blume, his brother, David Blume, and his sister Kristin McCauley. While his family will undoubtedly carry the legwork in extending the reach of his memory, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this effort, thanking Pete for a life of service and setting his name and character further into stone.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 41
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