Peter
Francois was born March 21, 1968 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the 8th of 11
children, to Jim and Judy Francois. He attended St. Mary Grade
School where he participated in just about everything, including his
beloved soccer.
After
graduating from St. Mary Grade School, Peter went to St. Joseph High
School following his siblings' footsteps. He began playing soccer
his sophomore year and was elected captain of the team.
Unfortunately, soccer wasn't very kind to Peter; he broke his leg both his
sophomore and junior years, abruptly ending his soccer career.
Upon
graduating from St. Joseph High School in 1986, Peter attended Marquette
University. After three years at Marquette, Peter transferred to
Loyola University of Chicago, graduating with a degree in Social Work.
Peter stayed in Chicago pursuing his life's dream as a social worker,
helping those less fortunate, including the developmentally disabled, poor
children, abused women and the homeless.
Peter's life and dreams ended all too soon. On August 1, 1993, after
a courageous battle with the AIDS virus, Peter died at the tender age of
25. For all those who mourned his death, we remember a young man who
felt so deeply the hurt of others and fought hard to make the world a
better place for the less fortunate.
In
2005, several of Pete’s classmates and St. Joseph High School Alumni got
together with the members of the Francois family and organized the first
For Pete’s Sake Memorial Walk/Run. We have had a tremendous response
over the last 14 years for this event and participation continues to
grow. Over 4,000 participants have joined us for the Walk/Run,
raising over $300,000 for this event! This money directly supports
an endowed scholarship fund to provide tuition for students that, without
financial aid, would be unable to attend St. Joseph Catholic Academy. We
thank you for your continued support and look forward to the years ahead.
With your
participation, we will continue to be more successful each year.

We'll never
forget...
Your courage
That magnificent smile
Your quest for justice
Your solid friendships
Your love of life
Those piercing eyes
Your empathy for those suffering
Your sense of fairness
Your unwavering faith amidst disappointments
Your acceptance of death.
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