Peter Michael Wilde

Peter Michael Wilde was born in San Francisco on 26 May 1953. He died at home in Santa Cruz on 14 October 2024. His life was filled with friends, music and thoughtful meandering. San Francisco was his first home, where he attended SF public schools including Lowell High School. An exemplary student, he won many awards. Family vacations in the Santa Cruz mountains gave him a love for the area, and he was drawn to esoteric UCSC. He graduated with degrees in Physics, Astronomy and Computer Science.
After college, Peter continued a lifelong pursuit in science, conducting research and analyzing environmental data at Kinnetic Laboratories, ADH and KLI Environmental. In that scientific work arena, Pete met and made lifelong friends whose intellect and humor kept him engaged in ways that befit a career of stimulating collaboration.
Peter was also an accomplished and talented musician. His musical performances began in the junior high school band playing tuba. In time, the tuba was replaced by the guitar, eventually leading to bass guitar, his true calling. The list of bands he played with were many; Zip City, Pacific Rhy'm, Charanga Nueve, sunmaDat, Broken English, Lost Borders, Little Big Band to mention just a few. He played various styles of music; he composed and arranged besides being a player in the bands. Music was such an essential part of his nature and the people he played with his intimate family On New Year's Day in 1987, Peter and Nadine were married, beginning a 37-year love adventure that included a lifelong passion for travel that took them across the world to all continents except Antarctica. Peter adored Santa Cruz--the natural beauty, the friendships, the music. He was a true and loyal friend who, given the choice to be right or kind, instinctively would choose kind. Peter's intelligence and inquiring mind, along with his wacky sense of humor and excessive love of puns made him a joy to be around and will leave a lasting impact on those who loved him. He is deeply missed. A celebration of his life will be held at his home on NYD 2025.