CHESHIRE, Conn. — A year ago, Dr. William Petit had a thriving medical practice. He lived in a comfortable colonial house adorned with flower gardens in an upscale Connecticut suburb with his wife and two daughters admired for their charitable works.

Then two intruders turned the tranquil setting into a suburban nightmare, holding the family hostage for hours on July 23, 2007.

Police say the men severely beat Petit and forced his wife, Greenville High School graduate Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to withdraw thousands of dollars from a nearby bank before they strangled her. Their daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation from a fire that police say was set by the intruders before they fled.

The crimes turned Cheshire, called the “Bedding Plant Capital of Connecticut,” from a town where many residents didn’t bother to lock their doors to a place where people are increasingly buying guns.

And they left Petit to face a future with none of what he cherished from the past. To survive, Petit returned to the charity work of his wife and daughters.

Friends here establish memorial scholarship

Jennifer Hawke-Petit’s local friends have established the Jennifer Hawke-Petit Memorial Scholarship through the Shenango Valley Foundation in Sharon.

“Jennifer was our friend, classmate and fellow 1980 graduate of Sharon General Hospital School of Nursing,” a listing on the foundation’s Web site says. “It is her husband’s wish that ‘if there is anything to be gained by the senseless deaths of my beautiful family, it’s for all of us to go forward with the inclination to live with a faith that embodies action: help a neighbor, fight for a cause, love your family.’ Inspired by his words, we have established The Jennifer Hawke-Petit Memorial Scholarship.

Jennifer was the daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Richard Hawke of Slippery Rock.

The scholarship was started by Lisa Bendis Pett of Erie and Beverly Hail Kantz of Saegertown. It benefits a nursing student who has financial need, satisfactory academic performance, and an interest in the care and welfare of children. Scholarship recipients will be selected by the faculty of Sharon Regional Health System School of Nursing, formerly Sharon General Hospital School of Nursing.

Info: www.sv-foundation.org

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On Sunday, Petit was among the thousands who turned out for the first GE 5K Road Race in Plainville, organized by two high school friends to benefit a foundation created in memory of his wife and daughters.

Petit, who received loud cheers as he crossed the finish line, said being involved in such events has been a “coping mechanism” for him over the past year.