K. Peter, age 52, died on Sunday at Sibley Hospital, Washington, D.C., of colorectal cancer, having been diagnosed in late January 2001. During surgery it became apparent that it had metastasized to the liver. He was born to Karl F. & Joan (Dougan) Schmidt. He was a senior partner in the law firm Arnold & Porter, where he spent his entire law career. He had attended Edgewood High School before his college years at the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in chemistry. He was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and did two years of alternate service after college, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. He returned to Madison to attend the UW Law School, and graduated in the top of his class. He joined Arnold & Porter in 1975 as an associate, and became a partner in 1982. He specialized in tax law, particularly in the taxation of employee benefits, and he founded and headed Arnold & Porter's employee benefits practice group. His colleagues praised his mastery of the intricacies of a complicated area of the law and his unusual breadth of legal skills. They found him to be a masterful writer, an accomplished and very experienced oral advocate, a savvy litigator and a wise counselor. His clients and colleagues respected his judgement and valued his advice. The tragedy of his death at 52 - a very young and vibrant 52 - is such a contrast to the life he lived. Peter was both funny and fun. He was always irreverent and never forgot where he came from. He hated, and himself avoided, any kind of pretension. He made no claims to perfection. He was always honest in all his dealings and wore his heart on his sleeve. His directness was sometimes a little unsettling, but everyone who knew Peter recognized that he was caring and thoughtful and very generous. He helped organize Save Our Aging Religious (SOAR!), a charity benefiting retired Catholic nuns and brothers, and served on its first board of directors. He was a runner, skier, occasional mountain climber, and played passionate basketball until a knee injury sidelined him. He had played the violin in his early years and loved good music of all genres. He was a gifted chef and a lover of good wine, and had a talent for pairing the right wine with the food he prepared. The memories of his intimate dinner parties are cherished by those attending. Survivors include his wife, Pamela Shadid, and their son, Dylan, 9, both of Washington, D.C.; two children from his first marriage, to Betsy Hoffman, Jenny, 25, of Tacoma Park, MD, and Matthew, 23, of Arlington, VA; his parents, Emeritus Professor Karl F. Schmidt and Joan D. Schmidt; siblings, Jeremy (Wendy Baylor) Schmidt and their daughter, Kestrel, Wilson, WY, Katie (Richard Jr.) Yde and their children, Sonja, Joshua and Benjamin, West Bend, WI, Daniel (Julie Brewster) and their children, Karl Andrew, Sarah Joan and Megan Elisabeth, Wilmette, IL, and Thomas (Terese Baldwin) and their children, Patrick and Colleen, Bozeman, MT. If desired, honor his memory by contributing to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, 11132 Ventura Blvd., Suite 401, Studio City, CA 91604. Dear Peter - May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.