On Saturday, January 14th, Peter Bily passed away at the age of 68. Born to Jozef Bily and Stanicka on April 13th, he is survived by his wife of 26 years, Zdenka and his brother Jozef (Pepik) Bily, and numerous cousins and nephews. Peter showed his adventurous spirit early in life. Having grown up behind the Iron Curtain, his parents made plans to send their younger son to live with his aunt and uncle in the U.S. during the Prague Spring in 1968. Before arrangements could be finalized, the Russians invaded and all exits were closed. Peter bided his time in Czechoslovakia, graduating from the Czech Music Conservatory as a French Horn player. When he and his girlfriend Eva went on tour in Italy with their respective orchestras, they took their chance to escape and requested political asylum from the U.S. embassy. They married while waiting for their immigration visas, and entered the U.S. in 1985, where they lived for a short while with Peter's cousin Charles Vanek and his family in Maryland. While learning English, Peter earned a coveted audition with the prestigious National Symphony Orchestra. He then took a job teaching music at St. Mark's Catholic School in Catonsville. He and Eva divorced soon after that and Peter struck out on his own, apprenticing to a cabinet maker where he learned carpentry and rescued his first cat, Mufik, an enormous Maine Coon cat. He then went back to school, earning a Bachelor's degree in Economics from U.M.B.C. Peter was also interested in all things mechanical, learning to work on numerous cars and motorcycles he began collecting. He enjoyed his leisure with trips to the ocean, biking the C&O canal, and visiting local monuments. He met his current wife Zdenka, the love of his life, in 1993 and they married in 1996. Together, he and Zdenka continued to share Peter's interest in finding and renovating houses for the two of them, and Peter start his own business as a General contractor specializing in kitchens remodeling for countless customers. Peter never met an animal that he didn't fall in love with, and rescued three more kitties, one of which was always named Mufik. Peter died peacefully after a year's struggle with pancreatic cancer. During his illness, Peter continued to display his bravery, his love of life and family, and his kindness and generosity to all living things. Peter's sense of humor remained with him until the end, as did his love of his favorite beverage, beer, which he still enjoyed the day before he passed. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 28 Melvin Avenue, Catonsville MD, 21228 on January 27 at 11 Am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lustgarten Foundation or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.