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BY ROZELLA HARDIN
Editorial Director
rozella.hardin@elizabethton.com
Pete Doriot was a true gentleman, an excellent nurse, a talented musician, a husband and father, and he enjoyed making people laugh. He, too, wore a smile much of the time.
Doriot died June 3 after a brief battle with cancer. Among those he leaves behind are his wife, Jenny, and children – Nik, Isabelle, and Jake.
Doriot grew up in Elizabethton, the son of the late Henri and Margaret Doriot, and attended Elizabethton High School and East Tennessee State University.
Pete was truly one of a kind. A good-hearted soul to those who knew him, his love and devotion to his wife and children were greater than any other element in his life. That was followed closely by music and friends.
Pete was a salesman in the beginning, but the death of his infant son, Gus, changed his life’s work as well as that of his wife’s. “We wanted to do something to be able to give back and to help others who were hurting. Pete went to nursing school first, and after he finished and got a job, I went to nursing school,” Jenny shared. For a time Pete worked in the emergency room at Sycamore Shoals Hospital, and many of his colleagues on the funeral home tribute page commented on what a fun person Pete was to work him. “I loved working with Pete. He made us laugh and always had a smile,” shared a colleague. Another shared, “It was hard not to smile with Pete nearby.”
During COVID, Pete worked as a tele-health nurse, and his final job was in digital health.
Jenny said her husband was an excellent ER nurse. “He was a very composed person, but caring. He had a knack for making people feel comfortable, and he had empathy. He took care of friends as patients and stood by them. He took care of his parents. He watched people die, held their hand, and comforted them. God used him, and that’s what Pete wanted. He definitely was my rock. He righted me a lot,” she shared.
When Pete wasn’t working, he enjoyed listening to music. He could be found at the Riverside Tap House on open mic nights making music with his friends, Barry Ward and Big Dan Britt. Pete played the bass guitar. He especially enjoyed southern rock and the blues. Some of his favorite artists were the Allman Brothers, Delbert McClendon, Webb Wilder, and John Pine.
He also enjoyed reading and among his favorite books were Lord of the Rings.
When Pete and Jenny had a day off together, they enjoyed day trips to small towns in the area, where Pete enjoyed looking for bargains. He enjoyed razzling his friends at work on being “deal suckers.” He would say “only deal suckers pay retail price.”
Another thing he was known for at work was his New Beer Day postings each week.
Pete also enjoyed grilling on the back deck. His favorite food to grill was steaks…and among his favorite foods was cheesecake.
Pete enjoyed being with family, and enjoyed his kids. “He was very level-headed, but was jovial and full of life. He left us with some great memories. He and I were together 30 years, and they were really good years,” said Jenny.
In addition to Gus, the Doriots lost a second infant son, Sam. “We don’t always understand God’s ways, but we know that He uses everything for His good, even death. We just have to be okay with it,” said Jenny.
Certainly, God used Gus and Sam’s death to make Pete the caring nurse that he was, and it was He who put the smile on Pete’s face and the everyday joy in his heart. His work friends have many good memories of Pete Doriot and the joy he brought to their workplace.