A New Year With Peter's Special Crew

While you can imagine that holidays were great with Peter Steele and the family, we all looked forward to one special day every year - New Year's Day - where Pete would gather his closest 50 to 70 friends, bandmates, their wives/gfs, neighborhood cops, parks department co-workers, roadies, record label executives, accountants, immediate and extended family, even in-laws of his nieces were invited to spend the first day of the New Year together. 

Vintage Shot: The Restaurant has closed

but the building still stands

with a Russian supermarket taking residence there now 

Most years, he picked a landmark restaurant called Lundy's which is located in Sheepshead Bay. It was most noted for its seafood and large seating capacity, but Peter liked the art deco styling and modern furnishing. Peter always remarked that he loved the lighting there, partly because the fixtures were made of blue and white glass, and partly because his mother loved the place so much.

So, even though the place was known for it's dinners, Peter always arranged for a private room off of the parking lot with a Brunch menu which consisted of everything you could imagine to eat, plus desserts and open bar. Every year, we looked forward to seeing the bandmates and friends to catch up, plan out when we'd see them next, what the tours were looking like, who they were playing with. Tour managers would sit with Pete's mom and go over the schedule noting what countries they'd be visiting. We'd see pictures of friend's  kids, and everyone would relax with Peter's extended family as we celebrated the New Year together.

In the background you can see Peter's mother, Nettie.

He is standing with his niece Tara and her children Antonio and Victoria

Taken at Lundy's Restaurant. See the lamps that he loved so much.

Even though he hated the attention, we would lavish him with toys, candy, wine, and fun gifts to celebrate his upcoming birthday. He despised when we'd sing happy birthday - turning bright red from embarrassment and shaking his head pleading us to not do that to him. But he delighted in every toy we bought him like the Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots from his cousin Nan to mini musical instruments from one of his sisters to Munster figurines from a gf to a military soldier's hat from the Russian army (from me) to home movies from his Aunt Dolores - he kept them all. We know. We found them when we had to clean out his apt. He saved so many personal gifts.

Pete holding court at Lundy's with some of his friends

As you can tell, he was a generous man who wanted nothing more than to make people feel wanted and loved. If you were important in his life, he invited you to gatherings like this where you would sit with his friends, talk with his family and meet his mom & dad when they were alive. He was following in the footsteps of his parents, aunts and uncles who paved the way for keeping the family together by creating holiday-focused family days.

Quite a man, huh?