Peter Mezey

Peter Moss Mezey

Peter Mezey, beloved husband, father, friend and neighbor died Thursday, April 16th, following a heart attack. He had just celebrated his 84th birthday.

His parents were the children of Jewish-Hungarian immigrants who grew up in Brooklyn and the Bronx and rose to affluence on Long Island, providing Peter with a level of opportunity for which he never seemed to lose his gratitude. He met Caryl, his bride to be, at Manhassett High School. After graduating from Williams College, he enlisted in the US Naval Reserve, and finished at Harvard Law School. In 1958, Peter and Caryl moved to San Francisco, a decision he called one of the best of his life. His family thrived in this hilly city by the bay, which he loved for its arts, its politics and its beauty.

For most of his legal career, Peter served as General Counsel at US Leasing. While he worked hard at everything he did, he strove to balance his professional and personal life, walking several miles downtown to work each morning and leaving each evening to have supper with his family and pursue his avocations: building furniture and remodeling the house, practicing piano and playing tennis, making friends and serving the community, all the while reading, listening, talking and - endlessly - learning.

Peter followed current events with passion and he and Caryl were involved in many civic endeavors over the years. They were great believers in public education and active members of the Richmond Complex, which fought for school desegregation in the 1960's. In the early 70's he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Education and became its president. He worked on city planning with SPUR, serving as its president, and sat on the Parking and Traffic Commission. Along with Caryl, he was an energetic supporter of the San Francisco Public Library and served on the boards of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Pocket Opera, and the California Bach Society.

Peter was a liberal humanist, who was interested in everyone he met. He was a person of enormous determination and guileless sweetness. His generosity, humor, curiosity and engagement with the world were extraordinary.

He is survived by Caryl, his wife of sixty years, his brother Philip, his four children and their spouses: Lauren Mezey and Manjit Singh, Jennifer Mezey and Bob Anderson, Philip Mezey and Amy Kaprow Mezey, and Alison Mezey; his grandchildren Jesse Ickes, Triana Anderson, Rio Anderson, Ariel Anderson, Alexander Mezey, and Peter Mezey.

We ache at our sudden loss and treasure Peter's bright spirit and all he gave us. He was - and is - an inspiration. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 2pm at the Presidio Officers Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Presidio Trust.