It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our dear father, děda (grandfather) and friend, Peter Edvard Beneš, age 78, of Jericho, Vt. Peter passed away on October 2, 2026, after a year-and-a-half battle with pancreatic cancer.
He leaves behind his son, Joshua, and his beloved grandsons, Luke and Zachary. He was predeceased by his parents; his wife and soulmate of more than 52 years, Vera; his daughter, Christina; and his daughter-in-law, Rebecca.
Anyone who knew Peter knew his remarkably positive attitude, kindness and generosity, competitive spirit, devotion to family and friends, and extraordinary strength. Peter showed his love through service. If someone he cared about needed something fixed, built, carried, cooked or simply taken care of, Peter was there. Even through tremendous hardship, he continued serving others and finding things in life to enjoy and be grateful for.
Peter was born on August 27, 1948, in Konstantinovy Lázně, Czechoslovakia. His parents worked in the hotel and hospitality industry, and Peter spent his childhood moving with his family among hotels throughout what is now the Czech Republic. Those years gave him a lifetime of stories. He raised birds, loved animals, learned to ride horses, skied, played music, rode motorcycles and developed an adventurous spirit that stayed with him throughout his life.
Peter was 20 years old when Soviet-led forces invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968. He witnessed the tanks and unrest firsthand. His family soon made the difficult decision to leave the country they loved in search of freedom and opportunity. They made their way to Switzerland before immigrating to Canada and beginning a new life in Toronto.
Hospitality was in Peter’s blood. In Toronto, he worked alongside his parents as they built their restaurant businesses, including Café Beneš and the Beneš Inn. But an even more important connection was soon made between the Beneš family in Toronto and another Czech family living in Vermont.
In a moment of serendipity, a longtime friend of the Beneš family was visiting Vermont when he unexpectedly crossed paths with his old friend, Al Souček. Al mentioned that he hoped his daughter, Vera, might someday meet a nice Czech man. His friend immediately thought of Peter. That unexpected connection brought Peter and Vera into each other’s lives, and what followed was a whirlwind, fairy-tale romance. They fell deeply in love and were married on April 24, 1971, at Saint Mary’s Church in Cambridge. They began a partnership that would carry them through more than five decades of adventures, joys and unimaginable losses. If there was ever a couple who were truly meant to find one another, it was Peter and Vera.
After several years between Vermont and Toronto, Peter and Vera knew they wanted to make Vermont their permanent home. In 1975, they purchased 10 acres in Jericho overlooking Mount Mansfield and began building the home where they would spend the rest of their lives. They moved in on October 1, 1976. Remarkably, Peter passed away 50 years and one day later in that same home. Peter planted 1,000 trees around the property, and today, those trees provide a lasting reminder of the care and love he poured into the land. Their property became much more than a house; it was the setting for horses, gardens, a swimming pool, countless gatherings and generations of family memories.
Peter and Vera continued their families’ tradition in the restaurant business, operating the Continental Restaurant in downtown Burlington and later the Beneš Inn on Shelburne Road. Peter took enormous pride in good food, hospitality and making people feel welcome. The Beneš Inn received recognition from the Gourmet Diners Club of America for four consecutive years, from 1981 through 1984.
Their daughter, Christina, brought tremendous happiness to their lives. In 1985, when she was 9 years old, Christina was diagnosed with leukemia. Peter and Vera stood beside her through three extraordinarily difficult years before her death. Losing Christina changed their lives forever, but they continued forward together with remarkable strength.
Happier days returned with the birth of their son, Joshua, in 1989. Peter threw himself wholeheartedly into being a father. He was protective, involved, proud and always there for his son. Some of the most important things Peter taught Joshua were through example: Work hard. Take care of your family. Help people when they need you. Keep going when life becomes difficult. Hold on to your faith. And never forget to enjoy life along the way.
After his years in the restaurant business, Peter began a long career with the Holiday Inn. Whatever job he held, Peter carried with him the lessons of a lifetime in hospitality: Treat people well, work hard and take pride in what you do. He had an easy ability to make people feel appreciated and cared for.
Outside of work, Peter loved working around his property, horseback riding, swimming, traveling, skiing and embarking on adventures with his family. Horses remained an important part of his life, including Shadow Dancer, Prince Charming, Rosie Summer, Orion and Lego. Some of Peter and Vera’s happiest years were spent riding together, traveling, and enjoying the land and home they had worked so hard to build.
Nothing, however, compared with becoming Děda to Luke and Zachary. Peter loved watching them grow; sharing his home, pool and land with them; and taking them to where he grew up in the Czech Republic. He delighted in sharing the things he loved with them, putting them on a horse for their first rides and taking them skiing for the first time. After losing Vera and Rebecca, Luke, Zachary and Joshua became the center of Peter’s world, and he remained devoted to caring for them even as he faced his own cancer diagnosis just months after Rebecca’s passing.
Peter’s name, meaning “rock,” could not have suited him better. Through all of life’s joys and unimaginable hardships, Peter was a rock for his family. He was steady, strong and always there when they needed him. His greatest legacy is found in the people he loved and served and in the lessons he passed down to his family: to remain strong, to be generous, to work hard, to take care of one another and, no matter what life brings, to keep looking for reasons to be grateful.
We find comfort imagining that after so many difficult goodbyes, Peter has finally been reunited with Vera, Christina and Rebecca. We can picture him together again with the people he missed so deeply, dancing the waltz with Vera once again.
Peter’s celebration of life will be held on October 24, 2026, 2 p.m., at the Carriage House, 916 Route 108, Jeffersonville, VT. A reception will follow immediately.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Peter’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.