Peter J. Rodrigues was born in Springfield, MA on September 11, 1957. He was most proud of his Portuguese descent, was a man of faith and raised by two disciplined catholic parents. He had a solid foundation which carried him a long way in his life.

As a young boy growing up, he enjoyed sports and had a love for hockey. As a young man, he worked alongside his father Raphael at the Rockport Country Club his father managed, and it was there that he grew to have a passion later in life for golf. Living on the water, he also worked on a boat lobstering and became a seafarer at heart. Later he worked alongside his father in the construction business, which is where he gained the work ethic and expertise to start his own company later in life.

Pete was a veteran of our U.S. Navy, until he left in the mid 70's. Then he joined Atlantic Contractors, a commercial contractor for nine years, advancing from carpenter to partner. He eventually joined forces with his old Navy buddy, Bob Perrett, where they founded RPC, Rodrigues, Perrett Contractors in 1987. Their company's slogan is "If its Not Right, It's Wrong"….which then and now, stands strong. Providing superior quality projects has been at the very cornerstone of RPC since its inception.

RPC is known for building both commercial and residential builds, but his latest gift was building his own community's, Atlantic Beach Country Club. It was a project that was full of passion and respect and it was his sole mission to get it built so his family and friends could enjoy and cherish it for years to come, making their own memories to last forever.

Pete has one sister who lives in Gloucester, MA . He was the father of two sons….Mitchell, who resides in NY and Danny who today, carries on with RPC to continue his father's legacy in contracting.

He had finally found the love of his life, Cathy. As all of their family and friends had told them both, they'd never seen two people happier and it was obvious their plan was indeed to grow old together. As Cathy says, "We finally got it right. I was his forever girl…and he was my forever guy". Sometimes in life however, things don't always turn out the way we hope and plan.

On October 5, 2014, Pete took his boat out to check out the fuel gages that had just been repaired. He left Cathy a float plan, as he always did, texted her several times while out on the water….and everything seemed just perfect. He was enjoying a much needed day out on the water to simply breathe….and he and Cathy were to enjoy a nice dinner at home when he returned. He never did.

Late that afternoon, Cathy received a call from the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office that Pete's boat had washed ashore….and he was not on board. Eighty two hours later, after an extensive search and rescue mission by our U.S. Coastguard, Navy, friends, family and strangers…the search ended and to date, Pete has never been found.

Cathy, his sons, family and friends, will never be the same. The profound impact he made on their lives was astounding.

"Viva la Vida a la contra a comprida" is something Pete always said. In Portuguese it means LIFE is neither short nor long. As interpreted by his friend Mike to mean: enjoy every day. That is the way I witnessed Pete to live his life.

Peter J. Rodrigues indeed left a legacy behind. He exemplified integrity, graciousness, kindness, love for family and friends and an extraordinary work ethic. There will never be another Pete and our beaches lost a gracious member of our community. God bless him and God bless all those who's lives he touched.

Now…in honor of Pete, it's time to pay it forward.