Peter T. Kirwan

Peter T. Kirwan Resident of Pebble Beach March 21, 1928 - March 28, 2010 Peter T. Kirwan, age 82, died peacefully Sunday night at Community of Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. He was a longtime resident of the Monterey Peninsula whose lifelong interest was international trade. Mr. Kirwan's interest in traveling and international trade was shaped by his childhood experiences, traveling between Calcutta, where his father was stationed as a surgeon in the British Army, and England, Ireland and the United States where he had his schooling. During the Battle of Britain, he was brought to the United States through Ellis Island and lived in Portland, Oregon until the last year of the war when the family returned to England. After the war, Mr. Kirwan joined the Royal Artillery, serving in Palestine. He graduated from Cambridge with a degree in jurisprudence, then returned to the U.S. where he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Following his graduation, Mr. Kirwan moved to San Francisco where he sought a career that would allow him to travel abroad. He worked for C & H Sugar, Eimac, and Varian before starting his own business, Western International Trade Co., specializing in marketing electronics abroad. In San Francisco, he met Marilee Hunt, his wife of 53 years. They raised four children in the Bay Area before moving to the Monterey Peninsula in the late 1970's. Upon his arrival on the Monterey Peninsula, Mr. Kirwan remained active in the business world. He became an international marketing consultant, taught at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and served on the board of the Monterey Bay International Trade Association. In his later years, he was known locally for his frequent contributions of satirical letters published in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Monterey Herald. For most of his life, Mr. Kirwan remained a citizen of Great Britain, but he became a US citizen in 1999, a moment of great pride for him. Reflecting upon the letters that occupied his later years, Mr. Kirwan averred "the sign of a mature society is its ability to laugh at itself." While at home in neither political party, Mr. Kirwan held firm to the principles of free trade between nations and the pursuit of policy that included a broad international perspective. Mr. Kirwan was an active member of St. Angela Merici Church, the St. Vincent de Paul Society (regularly volunteering at its Pacific Grove thrift shop), the Old Capital Club and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. He is survived by his wife, Marilee Kirwan; his children, Mary Hernandez of Cupertino, Peter Kirwan of Los Gatos, John Kirwan of Carlsbad and Susie Hill of Santa Cruz. He leaves behind eight grandchildren: Kyle Kiddy; Emily, Matthew & Brittany Kirwan; Ryan, Stacey and Allison Hill and Maria Kirwan and his brother, Ernest Kirwan of England. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated this Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 AM at St. Angela Merici Church in Pacific Grove. Private burial will take place at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to St. Vincent de Paul Society, 214 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, 93950. To sign Mr. Kirwan's guest book and leave messages for his family, please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com.