Born on January 22, 1932 in Sacramento, CA, Peter passed away peacefully on August 8, 2014 after a heartbreaking, 10 year battle with Parkinson disease. He was holding the hands of his beloved daughter Gina as he passed.
He was proceeded in death by his daughter, Julie Vartanian; sisters Gloria Dorsey, Nancy Walker, Mae McMahon, & Virginia Smith; and brother George Vartanian. He is survived by daughter Gina Vartanian, brother Sam Vartanian, and grandchildren Elena Kim, Aaron Kim, Michael Berg and Eric Berg.
Peter was a native Sacramentan. A naturally gifted athlete, Pete played both football and baseball at Christian Brothers High School and was selected by the Bee to it's All City football team his senior year. He turned down a football scholarship to USF because he preferred to play at Sacramento Junior College. He was voted MVP his sophomore year in both football and baseball and was named Athlete of the Year. Because he was such a fast runner he was nicknamed "Pistol Pete." He was a member of the original Southside Legion baseball team when it was formed in 1948. In 1952, while playing for Elk Grove, he led the county league in hitting with a .412 batting average.
Peter also served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany from 1953-1955. He made lifelong friends in Germany and enjoyed visiting them on several occasions.
After returning home, Pete married, had two children, and worked over 40 years at Lone Star Industries until his retirement in 1998.
Peter was known for being a funny, lighthearted man who had a way of making people feel special. His life centered on family, church, and friends. When I think of how he touched my life, the first word that comes to my mind is “admiration.”
I admire my father very much for his strength and fortitude in the face of his devastating illness, never complaining. He lived his entire life with dignity and strength. I also admire my dad for his love, support and commitment to his family. He was patient, kind, thoughtful and he loved life.
I also admire him because of the kind of father he was to my sister and me. Yes, he loved us very much but he also instilled in us a core value system that defined who HE was - that was a man who kept promises and honored commitments. He was a man of integrity. He taught us the importance of standing on principle and how laughing at a good joke was good for us. Whenever we complained or stumbled, he could have accepted our complaining and advised us to take the easy way out and quit, but he’d have none of that. He expected us to see things through, all the way, to the bitter end. His words, “Never give up, always try your best and see things through” is forever engrained in my mind.
He will be dearly missed.
Friends and family will miss their visits with Dad.
His grandchildren will miss his humor, his stories about baseball, Germany, and funny stories about growing up poor but having everything he needed because of family love.
I will miss my father, the source of my inspiration. I will miss our daily conversations and I will miss his hugs and his smile and kissing him and the smell of his Old Spice.
Life is certainly short but sweet. My dad was loved by so many people and he was an inspiration to so many.
Love lives longer than grief of pain. All other things pass but love will remain. It is a bond that nothing can sever because love lasts forever.
If you would like to give a gift to the Michael J Fox foundation for Parkinson's research in memory of Peter, please call 1-800-708-7644 or email donations@ Michaeljfox.org
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18