Pedro Banayad

Pedro Ilagan Banayad passed away on October 9, 2017 at the age of 86 years. He was a generous, proud, family-oriented man and a passionate storyteller.

Pedro, commonly known as Pete - or affectionately as Lolo Pete - was born in Lemery, Batangas, Philippines, on October 19, 1930. Two years after his birth, his family moved to Taal, Batangas, where he spent his childhood and survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Those who knew him surely heard how he became the self-proclaimed youngest horse and buggy driver and youngest jeep driver in Taal.

He embarked on a 20-year career with the US Navy on June 24, 1955 and was stationed in Japan, California, Hawaii, Scotland, and Wisconsin.

Pedro married the love of his life, Zenaida de las Alas, on April 8, 1956 - after years of courtship where she kept declining his marriage proposals until he had a job. Together, Pedro, Zenaida, and their three children traveled the world with the Navy - including road tripping across Europe - before settling in Racine, Wisconsin in 1974.

He retired from the Navy in 1975 and then worked at SC Johnson & Sons until his final retirement in 1992. Post-retirement, one of his long-running jokes was that he had been jobless for 25 years and that everyday is a Saturday.

Pedro and his wife lived in Racine for 40 years before moving to live with their son and daughter-in-law in Schertz, Texas in 2014. He was an avid fisherman and often took his boat out on Lake Michigan, continued his fondness for cars and driving by being a longtime Lexus customer, and enjoyed his favorite drink, Johnnie Walker Black, while telling stories to anyone who would listen.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Macaria Ylagan and Luis Banayad, siblings Lydia Banea, Simplicio Banayad, and Victor Banayad, and infant sons Joseph and Paul.

Pedro is survived by his adoring wife of 61 years, Zenaida; children: Zoraida (Chris) of Cincinnati, OH, Antoinette (Fredrik) of Stockholm, Sweden, and Gerard (Linda) of Schertz, TX; grandchildren: Meghan (Brad) , Courtney, Aaron, Con, Mallory, Morgan, and Oliver; great-grandchild: Lark; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives - including the furry, four-legged family dog who loved sharing Pedro's ritual breakfast of Cheerios.

Funeral services will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Schertz on Thursday, October 19, 2017, on what would have been his 87th birthday, with Visitation starting at 1:00pm and Military Honors followed by the Rosary and Funeral Mass at 2:00pm. Private interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Monday, October 23, 2017 at 10:45 am.

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