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Pete McRae

  • Pete McRae
    Pete McRae

Pete McRae, who meant so much to so many, left us on Saturday, February 11, 2023.

As a professional, friend, and good citizen, Pete spent his life bringing people together to accomplish good for their communities. His kindness was boundless, always taking the time to appreciate the people with him, and the dignity each individual was due.

Early in Pete’s career, he came to Austin, in the days when Republicans and Democrats worked together to get things done, though the Dems were in charge and Pete was with them! Austin and rural Texas were where he honed his skills for building relationships under the tutelage of Jim Hightower and Ann Richards, and his wicked humor from Molly Ivins. This was the time foundations were laid for lifelong friends, who are now grieving for their friend taken too early.

In the early 2000s, his expertise led him to find funding in the State budget for the courthouse restoration program, resulting in the restoration of the Williamson County Courthouse. Later, Pete’s patience and political savvy worked well to propel generations of young people into the adult work phases of their lives. Whether it was tasking his youthful employees to research, write, or apply their academic knowledge to real-world issues, Pete was always able to encourage their best selves to appear. His ethos for good government and high standards will live on through those he mentored.

His quick wit and cleverness made him the understated favorite at many gatherings of close friends and family, as well as a lifetime of friends from the Texas political milieu. An avid Notre Dame and Green Bay Packers fan, Pete was Irish through and through, though he did admit to his Scots heritage. The McRae motto and crest “Fortitude” was spot on.

Pete was born to Eileen Hoare McRae and Thomas Anthony McRae in Amarillo, Texas on September 30, 1957. He grew up surrounded by five sisters, Rose Plith (husband Tom), Kate McRae, Anne Sarah (husband Curtis, deceased), Pat McRae-Lane (husband Jimmy, deceased), and Eileen McRae (husband Markus Hagmann). His eight nieces and nephews, 15 greats, and four great-greats will miss their uncle. Pete was able to visit with his sisters and their families often in recent years, and they were very dear to him.

No one will miss him more than Angel Sater, his wife of almost 17 years. Pete and Angel met 24 years ago, and she eventually convinced him to move to Georgetown. He loved their house close to the downtown Square, meeting locally for meals with close friends, and he especially loved walking in nearby San Gabriel Park with his dog Wendler, a favorite of their many dogs over the years. Pete and Angel were able to travel several times to Ireland and Scotland with her family, and he was thrilled to see his ancestral homelands.

His Georgetown in-laws, Angel’s family, include Carol Bouchard (mother), Bruce Garnett (uncle, deceased), Nicol Bouchard Callahan (sister, husband Sean), and two nephews. His Houston in-laws, Angel’s family, include Roger and Celeste Sater (father and stepmother), Sherri Cassidy (stepsister, husband Mark, deceased), Kelly Bradberry (stepsister, husband Eric, deceased), Bruce Ford (stepbrother, wife Cynthia), six step-nieces and -nephews, and one great step-niece.

In celebration of Pete’s life, Angel invites his friends and family to a wake on Saturday, March 4, from 1 - 4 p.m., at the Georgetown Community Center in San Gabriel Park. Casual dress and reminiscences of Pete are requested.