Peter Louis Pavlina

1925 - 2014

Peter Louis Pavlina
October 17, 1925 - August 22, 2014
Resident of Los Altos Hills
Community leader Peter Louis Pavlina passed away August 22 at his home after a short illness. He was the son of Croatian immigrants. His father Luka immigrated in 1913 and his mother Kate Grcich in 1920. They met in Mountain View and married in 1921. They were orchardist raising apricots, cherries and prunes in the Santa Clara Valley and peaches, pears and prunes in Yuba County.
Following graduation from Mountain View High School in 1943 Peter enlisted in the Air Force serving as a communications expert in North Africa. Following his discharge he returned to Mountain View attended San Jose State and married his high school sweetheart, Carole Taylor in 1946. Peter and Carole built their first home in Los Altos in 1950 where they raised their four children.
Peter continued to work with the family orchards and was also employed by the Paul A. Mariani Co. as an accountant. After he received his Real Estate license, Peter opened his own company developing the family orchards and other properties throughout the Valley. He also continued with the Mariani Co. overseeing their Real Estate ventures.
Peter was proud of his activities in the community and business affairs in the county. His proudest accomplishment was the 12 years he served as a public member of LAFCO. He was the chairman of that Agency in 1978 when approximately 10,000 residents were shifted from San Jose to Cupertino.
In addition, Peter was a board member of the El Camino Hospital Foundation, Director of the Santa Clara County Boy Scouts, president of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, member of the Tri-County Apartment Association and the City of Sunnyvale Downtown Committee, Charter member of both the Cupertino Kiwanis Club and Am-Slav Club. He was a member of the Palo Alto Elks Club and Los Altos Golf and Country Club.
Peter was an adventurous, hardworking family man. He had a traveling spirit and sought adventures all over the world. He generously shared this love with family as he often took them on trips, especially enjoying family vacations at their home in Maui. He enjoyed his wide circle of friends, and thrived on hard work and honest ethics expecting nothing less from his family and friends.
He loved all sports from youth to high school, college and pros. He especially liked the 49ers following them from Kezar Stadium to Candlestick. He was an avid golfer enjoying many rounds with his wife and friends at the Club and other courses around the area, Palm Springs and Maui.
During his lifetime he watched the Santa Clara County burst from a sleepy farming community to become the technology mecca it is today. He remained active and interested in all aspects of the community and in the activities of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Peter is survived by his wife of 67 years Carole, his brother Milt (Carolyn) of Phoenix and four children Linda Wilder (Art) of Sebastopol, Louise Hering (Mike) of Oroville, Lou Pavlina(Carol) of Brookdale and Laurie Lincoln (Todd) of Princeton, New Jersey and 12 grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
A Mass will be celebrated Thursday, August 28, 2014 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church at 11:30 A.M. Burial will follow at Gates of Heaven Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of Spangler Mortuaries. Please call 650-492-4120 for additional information.
In lieu of flowers the family request that a donation be made to one of Peter's favorite charities, Melanoma Cancer research at www.melanoma.org. or your favorite charity.