Peter Robert Walsh (68) of Finland, Minnesota passed away on January 19, 2023. He was surrounded by loved ones, the music of Willie Nelson and The Highwaymen and the caring staff at St. Luke’s hospital. Pete was born in Lewiston, Maine in the summer of 1954. His family moved in the fall of 1956 to the North Shore of Lake Superior where he grew up in Hollow Rock, near Grand Portage and also in Hovland and Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Pete graduated from high school in Grand Marais spring of 1973. Pete had a fondness for fast cars, Standard Gas stations, outlaw country music and volunteering his time to his community. Pete moved to Lake county after graduation. He married Caroline Parker in summer of 1975 and they resided together in Finland, Minnesota for many years. Their four children Troy, Shawna, Justin and Amanda Jean spent their youths in the country, building forts, hunting for agates, causing each other occasional injury, swimming, swinging from trees and challenging their parents.

Pete had a love of Nascar. He and his brother Joe, attended the Daytona 500 in 2015, which was a highlight in his life.

He began his Lake County community service with the Finland Fire Department in April 1977. His service with the Finland Fire Department continued until his retirement in 2019. He sold firefighting and search and rescue equipment to ensure local departments would get their best price anywhere to help stretch their budgets. He also was called to the Finland Search and Rescue, serving from 1986 to 2014. After overcoming test anxiety and a couple unsuccessful attempts, he fulfilled his dream of passing the EMT exam. Pete held daytime jobs while also responding when emergencies occurred within his community. He donated countless hours of time responding to medical emergencies, searching for lost people by land, air and waterways, consoling friends and strangers, contacting people with hard news and taking calls from those who needed a friend.

Pete ran for Lake County commissioner multiple times in the 1990s and again in the 2000s. He won this seat in 2012 for the first time and has been re-elected for the seat since that time. He worked alongside the Town Clerk Deb Johansen and State Representative Dave Dill in the securing of $250,000 for the Clair Nelson Finland community center to pay off the remaining construction debt. He served on the Board for Finland Coop Store and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission. For those who served with him in government and his volunteer career, they knew they could depend on Pete to lighten the mood in the room with a quick joke or story. He spent over four decades finding a variety of ways to better his county and the lives of those around him.

Pete leaves behind his four siblings, Joe Walsh (Sandy) of Florida, Ada Hill of Grand Marais, Bill Hackett (Carol) of Grand Portage, Wendy Hill (Tim) of Vermont, his four children, 9 grandchildren and many cousins, nieces, nephews and beloved friends. He was preceded in death by his mother Hariett Walsh in 2018.

There will be a celebration of life June 11th at the Clair Nelson Center in Finland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Finland Fire Department and Finland Search & Rescue. Please send those to PO Box 556, Finland, MN 55603.