Peter Witherly, a musician, mentor, leader and friend who was loved by those in his North Coast community, passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 23 after a brief struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72 years old.
Witherly was more than just a music teacher or band leader. He was a visionary whose life-long passion for music helped lay the foundation for a vibrant community that has meant so much to so many people in Prince Rupert and the surrounding area.
Born in Vancouver and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Witherly was introduced to music when he began playing trumpet as a young child. He joined the Regina Lions Junior Band as a six or seven-year-old and remained with the group until his family moved to Edmonton five years later.
While in Edmonton, Witherly joined the University of Alberta symphony orchestra as a Grade 11 student. His positive experience with the orchestra inspired him to study music in university. Witherly would eventually receive a master’s degree in music education before accepting a job in Prince Rupert as a band instructor in 1971.
In the early days, Witherly would travel to teach at different elementary schools in the district while using the old Booth Memorial School music room as a hub to instruct older students. After the old Booth school was closed, the city’s bands didn’t have a dedicated space to practice, and would have to make do with other community spaces, such as the library or civic centre.
The city’s music programs eventually found a home with the construction of the Prince Rupert Secondary School band room, a space Witherly worked with architects to help design.
In addition to helping with the design of a new music space, Witherly’s other major contribution at this time was the formation of a community band, which had not existed in the city for a number of years.
The group practiced and played together in the high school for approximately 20 years before changes to its schedule in the mid-1990s prevented the band from practicing there. Witherly also became the director of the Prince Rupert Rotary Community Choir in the mid-1980s, a role he would hold for many years after.
Since that time Witherly organized, led or was involved in a plethora of ensembles, choirs and other performance groups in Prince Rupert, including the Muskeg Swing Band, the Rolling Tones and the Oompah band.
Witherly also helped direct most of the high school and community musicals since the mid-1980s. He was a part of the city’s production of Les Misérables and The Dream Lives On performance in honour of Prince Rupert’s 100-year anniversary, for which he wrote the music and lyrics.
In 2014, the Prince Rupert and District Music Society — in partnership with School District 52, Ridley Terminal, the Port of Prince Rupert and other local businesses — opened a new music studio at Charles Hays Secondary School. The studio was named the Peter Witherly Community Music Studio in his honour. The studio provided a full-time dedicated space for band and choir practices, and it has become a hub for the city’s music community and the genesis for many of the productions put on around Prince Rupert.
“He was my mentor, choir leader, musical director, colleague and friend and saying goodbye to this legend in our community is so difficult,” said Alison O’Toole, Charles Hays Secondary School drama teacher. “I have to believe that his legacy will live on through the multitudes of people he has inspired.”
At his request there will not be a funeral service, but there are plans for a community memorial concert.
If desired, donations in Witherly’s memory can be made to the Prince Rupert and Region Music Society to complete their funding commitment to the Peter Witherly Community Music Studio.
READ MORE: Heart Of Our City — Prince Rupert’s man behind the music
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