Peter Roland Thomas

Peter Roland Thomas, 67, passed away on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

Peter was born on July 21, 1957, in Plymouth, Wisconsin, to the late Roland and Elfrieda (nee Heidemann) Thomas, the third of five children. He lived with his family in Cleveland, Wisconsin and began school there before moving to West Bend at age 7, where he graduated from West Bend West High School in 1975. During his high school summers, he worked on the crew at Regner Park, relishing the chance to be outdoors while getting paid.

While he played football and ran track in high school, his first love was basketball. At 6’6”, he was an imposing presence. He started his Junior and Senior years, and he enjoyed his team’s success. He spoke fondly of his teammates and kept many as friends for life. On the court, Pete was not fond of attention and was comfortable leaving the headlines to others. He was especially proud of his work in the unglamourous parts of the game, defense and rebounding. Pete continued playing in rec leagues and representing West Bend in leagues playing other community teams into the early 1990s.

After high school, he joined Lifetime Rustproofing and Exhaust as its sole employee and manager. He was part of the business for 41 years, moving from a location on south Main to the more familiar location on North Main in the late 1980s. He bought the business at the end of 2002 and ran it until it closed in late 2019. He set a goal of working on every car in West Bend. While there is no way to know how close he came, his pursuit of that goal connected him to the community. He had a photographic memory when it came to his work, noting what work he did on the car and what he knew about the owner. Any trip around town found him pointing to cars he had worked on and reciting his encyclopedic knowledge of the vehicle and its family. Many in town do not know the name Pete Thomas, but they DO know the muffler guy. Lifetime became known for top quality service at a value price, and especially for doing custom work. Pete’s reputation as THE muffler guy ultimately grew to match his physical stature.

Pete was as big a fan of sports as he was a man. He attended most Packer games from the late 80s to early 90s and went to many Brewer and Admirals games. As with his personal play, his first love as a sports spectator was basketball. He was an avid Bucks fan from their founding in 1968 and held season tickets from the days of the Milwaukee Arena into the Bradley Center. He was always generous with his tickets for family and friends. As with the cars in town, Pete was a walking encyclopedia of current sports news.

Pete married Natasha “Tasha” Herdt on March 28, 1998, and together they had 3 children, Robbie, Shannon and Brandon. He saw his role as a father to be a steady provider, and worked tirelessly in the business, devoting long days to provide for his family’s basic needs. As his children grew, he became a father ready to chauffeur his kids to appointments and events and share stories of his family history. He became primary parent of his kids later in life and they turned to him for support.

Those left to cherish Pete’s memory include his two children, Shannon and Brandon Thomas; siblings, Mary (Roger Wong) Thomas, Laura “Laurie” Stevens, and Mark (Cheryl) Thomas; five nieces and nephews, Sara Thomas, Noel Thomas, Anna Thomas, Kara Stevens, and Will Stevens; three grandchildren, Noah Uelmen, Raena Thomas-Uelmen, and Eliyas Thomas; 19 first cousins, other relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents, Peter is preceded in death by his sister, Katherine Thomas and son, Robert “Robbie” Thomas.

VISITATION: Peter’s family will greet relatives and friends on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., at Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service (1315 W. Washington Street, West Bend).

MEMORIAL SERVICE: A memorial service will follow visitation at 3:00 p.m., at Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service, with Pastor Eric Kirkegaard officiating the service. A private burial will take place at Washington County Memorial Park.

The family extends thanks to the many customers who supported Pete’s business and provided his livelihood for over 4 decades. Additional thanks to the physicians and nurses in the ICU at Froedtert for their attentive, compassionate and comprehensive care of Pete and their humane and respectful treatment of members of Pete's family during the final days of Pete’s life.

Memorials can be directed to the Friends of West Bend Parks and Recreation, where Pete learned to swim, played and watched many sports, and worked as a teen.

Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Peter’s arrangements. Additional information and guest book can be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.