Peter John Kaplanis

PETER JOHN KAPLANIS. Born: February 1, 1935 in San Francisco, CA. Raised: in San Francisco. First language at home: Greek. Parents: immigrants from Greece. Special places: John Muir Woods -and- Golden Gate Park -and- Yosemite. Attended: George Washington High School in San Francisco. Adored: Fall of 1952 GWHS class reunion group of friends. All-Star athlete at GWHS: basketball, baseball, and track & field. Summers: Firefighter for the US. Forest Service. College: USC -and- President of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Graduated: USC in 1956. BA Sociology & Psychology. Drafted: in the U.S. Army in 1956 -and- Served in Army Medical Corp. for 2 years. Grad school: USC Law School. Graduated in 1961. Career: Attorney at Law for approx. 59 years. Judge pro tem: Los Angeles Superior Court. Married: Joan van Barneveld in 1959 -and- married for 60 years. Family: 3 daughters, and 4 grandchildren. Friends: Rich with lifelong friendships. Lived in: Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Marino, & back to Pasadena. Involved: St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church -and- Order of Ahepa. Volunteered: Annual Greek Festival -and- raffle booth. Attended: Annual St. Anthony's Christmas Fashion Show Luncheon Fundraiser. Served: San Marino City Club. Board of Directors: non-profit organizations. Supported: the schools. Education: always came first. Anything that was for school was a priority. This was always one of the most important topics to him. Education was his #1 priority for his family. Coached: girls softball -and- girls soccer -and- girls basketball. Entertained: The Father's Follies productions. Participated: SMHS Grad. Night Lighting Committee. Interested: in the California Missions. Vacationed: in Palm Springs, Newport, Big Bear, Santa Barbara, Ojai. Tradition: Palm Springs with family during Spring Break every year for 50+ years. Happy Place: The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. Travelled the world: Internationally. Played: tennis -and- golf. Cared for: his garden, yard, and house. Member: of the San Gabriel Country Club -and- The Valley Hunt Club. Passionate: about learning -and- sharing his knowledge of history. Hosted "lectures" talks: Greek history -and- American history. Talented: telling jokes. Natural storyteller: He could have written a book with all the stories he told!! Appreciated: the Visual -and- Performing Arts. Donated: to numerous charities. Honored: US Veterans. Patriotic: for his country. Respectful: of everyone. Favorite flowers: California poppies. Favorite bird: Bald eagle. Favorite activity: going on outing to buy frozen yogurt with the family during Spring Break in Palm Springs. Favorite dessert: Linda's chocolate Fudge cake from the Cheesecake Cake Factory. Favorite shirts: Tommy Bahamas. Favorite gifts to his 3 daughters at Christmas: an envelope (with check inside) tied to a bottle of Windex. Life lesson: "Think in the alternative." Advice: "Always take the high road." Committed: husband, father, Papou. Loved: his family more than anything else. Passed to Heaven: May 2, 2020, at home in Pasadena, surrounded with love by his family. ************** ************** From my heart.... Hero, role model, leader. Wise, smart, intelligent. Disciplined, healthy, happy. High standards, hard worker, committed. Positive, friendly, respectful. Supportive, helpful, caring. Kind, giving, generous. Proud, protective, loving. Brave, strong, valiant. Funny, personable, everybody loved him. Natural story teller. He had it all. PLUS, to top it all off: he was a handsome man his whole life!! ************** ************** I added 85 photos in celebration of his 85 years. In addition, there are 2 short videos. Reflect on the good memories, let it warm your heart and help to celebrate his life. You are invited and encouraged to add a message, memory, &/or photo on this page. ************** ************** In lieu of flowers: Please feel free to make a donation in Peter's memory to one of the four charities that my Dad selected: 1) The Huntington Library & Gardens. giving opportunity link: https://www.huntington.org/donate 2) The USC Gould School of Law. giving opportunity link: https://gould.usc.edu/alumni/giving/ 3) St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church. giving opportunity link: https://saint-anthonys.churchgiving.com/ 4) The Huntington Hospital Cardiology & Oncology Department. giving opportunity link: https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/philanthropy ************** **************