Hole-in-one highlights 95-year-old Shelby resident’s ‘special day’

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Pete Backus’ late wife, Gail, always told him one thing before he went on his way to golf each morning.

“My mom would always say before he headed out golfing, ‘I hope you get your hole-in-one today so you can stop talking about it,”’ Peter Backus, Pete’s son, said.

On the day of their 64th wedding anniversary, Pete Backus, 95, did just that.

“We started out the morning that day to get some flowers to put on my wife’s grave,” Pete Backus said. “We spent the morning there a little bit, so that was a special day; she probably had a lot to do with it.”

On Oct. 11 at Glacier Club in Washington Township, Backus earned his first-ever hole-in-one on hole No. 3. With a strong wind on the course, Backus said he clubbed-up to a 9-iron to get the job done.

While the achievement was special in itself, Backus said there were added elements to make the feat even more memorable.

“It was great, but it was a special day because it was my anniversary day,” Backus said. “It was special not only because of that, but because I had my son and my two nephews around.”

Backus was playing a round with his son, Peter, and nephews Paul Thomas and Michael Thomas when he accomplished the feat.

Pete met Gail, who passed away in September 2019, at St. Lawrence Church in Utica.

“I used to see her in there with her girlfriends and her mom, and I happened to get to talking to her,” Backus said.

The couple loved to camp, play golf and even showcase dance moves together.

“We just enjoyed life together; we got along real well,” Backus said.

Backus served in the United States Navy during World War II in the Philippines on a cargo ship and was involved regularly with the St. Lawrence Church and Utica communities.

He went to trade school after his time in the service and worked in factories. While spending 15 years at the Chrysler Tech Center in Highland Park before retiring, Backus also built a car-washing business called Backus Auto Wash on 17 Mile Road at Van Dyke Avenue.

Now, Backus’ life revolves around family, golf and keeping his childhood home organized.

“I look outside, and I just get motivated; if I see something that doesn’t look right or a bush needs trimming, I just go out there and do it,” Backus said. “My family also keeps me motivated; they’re always getting me out to do things.”

Backus golfs two days a week throughout the year when courses are open, and he even carries a 13 handicap on the course.

“He talks about it all winter that he hopes he can stay in shape to golf next year, and then he goes there and shoots an 85 or 86 and is hitting them down the fairway,” Peter Backus said.

Pete Backus plans to travel with his family and watch his favorite team, the Detroit Red Wings, play until the golf season returns.

The soon-to-be 96-year-old said he gives thanks every day for the life he continues to live.

“I’m pretty fortunate that the good Lord has been good to me,” Backus said.