Here is a short tribute that I sent to Peter's sister Lucy Demosky to be read at the Memorial at the USCC Centre in Grand Forks, B.C. on Wednesday May 30th. Burial will be on Thursday.

May 29, 2001

Dear Lucy:

Re: In commemoration of Peter M. Gritchen (Aug. 6, 1922-May 27, 2001).

My wife Kristina Kristova and I send our sincere condolences to you and your family in the sudden death of your brother Peter. He was my friend. Peter is indeed a man to be remembered. And he was one of our colourful and loving pioneers.

We will always remember our meeting with him in 1995 when we interviewed him. He sang to us on the balcony of his Museum and he had interesting and original opinions about his role in preserving the Doukhobor heritage. In fact, he was the most colourful character who performed in a feature film clip used by the Canadian Museum of Civilization in its exhibit as part of the Doukhobor Centennials. This film clip is now being shown at the Doukhobor Village Museum in Castlegar, B.C. where viewers can see him in performance.

As Curator of the Mountain View Doukhobor Museum for the past 30 years, Peter deeply cherished and loved his work. With his enthusiasm, he has helped to preserve our precious heritage in the beautiful Sunshine Valley of Grand Forks. His self-made Museum was a bit of fresh air with all kinds of Doukhobor artifacts of years gone by appropriately housed in a heritage building constructed in 1912 which once served 40 people in the former Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood. Peter¹s carpentry and artistic skills transformed the rare collection into an attractive display of history and culture and made this Museum a popular drawing centre for tourists from as far as Japan, England, Russia, and New York.

Peter was a maverick -- an independent-minded person -- who gave meaning to the word Spirit Wrestlers and plakun trava as someone not afraid to question the dominant stream. He learned his music against all odds -- even if it meant playing the mouth organ behind the barn. His folk music with guitar, accordion, and voice recorded in five albums is a fitting reminder of a man who once was called "the world's only Russian-language recording artist-carpenter-museum curator". 

We will all remember him as one of the originals. May he rest in peace.

Most sincerely,
Koozma J. Tarasoff