Peter McKinley Ladd

Peter McKinley Ladd, 11 year old cherished son of Mary Ellen (McKinley) and Patrick Ladd, died unexpectedly on Christmas morning at CT Children's Medical Center after a brief illness. Peter was born July 16, 2001 with cerebral palsy and, because of his disability, was a trusting soul who relied on many loving people to meet his basic needs. Peter lived in West Hartford his whole, short life and attended the Early Learning Center, Norfeldt Elementary School and King Philip Middle School. Peter loved going to school. He was welcomed and accepted by the many wonderful children at Norfeldt School where he spent six fantastic years under the guidance of a warm, dedicated and loving staff. Peter loved music, swimming, going for bike rides, Miracle League baseball, therapeutic horseback riding and watching The Brady Bunch and Leave It to Beaver. He also loved water parks and hanging out on the raft with his Dad at Cape Cod. Peter was often complimented for the way his presence could light up a room and for his infectious belly laugh when he really got going. Peter was always willing to give a friend at school a high five and enjoyed roaming the halls on his bike or in his walker. Everywhere he went people would approach him to say hello. Besides his parents, Peter is survived by and will be deeply missed by his loving older sister, Elizabeth, and his spirited younger brother, William; his paternal grandparents Ann and Vic Preissner of Marlborough, CT and Len and Lois Ladd of Washington, DC. Peter was blessed with 17 amazing aunts and uncles who loved and cared for him. He also leaves behind 23 wonderful cousins, all of whom loved Peter in many ways. Peter is predeceased by his maternal grandparents Maureen (Curtin) McKinley and Aaro S. McKinley. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at the Church of Saint Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant Street, West Hartford. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Calling hours will be Friday, 4 to 8 p.m. at the Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 136 South Main Street, West Hartford. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to HARC/Camp Bulova, 900 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105 or Camp Care Therapeutic Riding, 106 Route 66, Columbia, CT 06237. For directions and online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com.