Peter K. Shih

1933 - 2014

Shih, Peter K. 04/28/1933 ~ 02/26/2014 SAN DIEGO -- With great sadness we announce the passing of Peter Kwang-tian Shih, at age 80, three weeks after suffering a devastating stroke. He was peaceful, at home under hospice care, and held in the arms of family members. Born in Nanking, China, he was the fourth and youngest child of Shang-kwan Shih and Chung-fang Wu. During the Communist take-over in mainland China, he moved with his family to Taiwan where he attended Taipei Chian Kuo High School, and then National Taiwan University, where he obtained his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1955. He came to the U.S. for further studies and obtained his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota in 1968. During this time he met and fell in love with Loretta Tsai. They married and moved to San Diego where he worked for General Dynamics. For many years he also worked together with Loretta in the real estate business in the San Diego area. They were blessed with the birth of three sons whom they raised into accomplished young men, two with Ph.D.'s and one an M.D. After the passing of his beloved Loretta in 2008, he continued living in their home and maintaining it with meticulous care. An important part of this was tending the hundreds of potted cacti and succulents in his sunny backyard garden. He often gave these away to family and friends as gifts, but then almost magically even more plants would appear, always in new charming pots. He also enjoyed following the rapid growth of his four grandchildren, and attending weekly mahjong sessions with good friends. True to his disciplined and loyal character, he continued working on managing the family's real estate holdings right up to his final illness. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife. He is survived by his children, Theodore (Lillian) of Fairfield, CT, Mark (Holli) of Portland, OR, and William (Chris) of Boston, MA; grandchildren, Adam, Isaac, Audrey, and Ethan; sister, Amelia Pao (Y.H. Pao, deceased) of Taipei, Taiwan, brothers Howard Kwang-hwa Shih (Chi-wei Wang) of Taipei, Taiwan, and Kwang-kuo Shih (Marion) of New York, plus many in-laws, nephews and nieces in North America and Taiwan. He will be lovingly remembered by all his family and by dear old classmates and friends. A memorial gathering will take place on March 23, 2014. In accordance with his wishes, his ashes will be spread on the ocean so that he can join Loretta and travel all over the world. Those who wish may donate in his memory to the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 404 3rd Ave., San Diego, CA 92101l, or to a charity of their choice.