Obituary of Pedro Fazenda

Pedro Fazenda Lai Mr. Lai, 69, of Charlotte, NC , died November 8, 2009 at Carolinas Medical Center from extensive complications after a lingering battle against Lymphatic Filariasis. He was born on December 9, 1939, in Hong Kong, China, son of the late Mr. Lai Lim and Mrs. Esbelta Maria Lopes Fazenda de Lai. Peter came to the United States with his mother, stepfather, and siblings when he was fourteen years old and became a U.S. Citizen in 1955. Prior to and after coming to the States, he lived in Kowloon, Guangzhou, Macau, Japan, Washington, D.C., and Bogota, Columbia where his stepfather, Colonel Matthews, was attached to the U.S. Embassy. Peter served in the United States Army in the 82nd Airborne, 101st Division of the Screaming Eagles. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his skills as an Electrical Engineer served him well throughout his life. Among the many companies that benefitted were Hatteras Yacht and Western Electric. An inventor at the core of his being, he consistently found new and better ways to do things. His engineer?s mind was the perfect partner for his hobby of 30 plus years in the stock market where he wrote his own software programs for charting market trends through technical analysis. Peter was a wonderful and loving father to his son, Pete Lai, Jr. and to his longtime friend and companion?s two sons, Chad and Sean Ertel. His kindness, compassion, sense of humor, and zest for life will be remembered by all who knew him. His life?s philosophy was always ?that it wasn?t what you said, but your actions that mattered.? A true Christian and beloved son of God, this man truly lived his life by the Word. His dear friend and companion, Andrea Lee, has been by his side and unwavering in her devotion; and would like to especially thank Dr. Al Hudson for being ?an intelligent caring compassionate open-minded physician? who has been his partner in healthcare and wellbeing; and his two outstanding nurses at Carolinas Medical Center, Kristine Adelman and Christopher Ball. With sincere gratitude to family members; neighbors, Chloia Chandler and Rita Guillard; Andrea?s employers, Drs. Ki-Hyun and Sunny Chun, and Chun Group staff; members of the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce; FBI Citizen?s Academy Alumni; Leadership Charlotte Class XXVII classmates; and the many wonderful friends who have offered their support during this difficult time. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his stepfather, Colonel James Matthews. He is survived by his son, Pete Lai, Jr. and his wife, Susan, of Simpsonville, SC; former spouse, Mary Loosier Lai, of Charlotte, NC; granddaughter, Noelle Lai, of Simpsonville, SC; step-siblings, Virginia Gaffney, Vicky Rawdons and Bob Matthews; longtime friend and companion, Andrea Lee; and her two sons who he was like a second dad to Thomas Chad Ertel and Andrew Sean Ertel. The family will receive friends Thursday November 12, 2009 from 5:00 until 8:00 PM at Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28203. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce, 1339 Baxter Street Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204.