Peter G. McRae

1946 - 2020

Peter McRae, 74, of Parker, AZ died on Sunday, December 6th of COVID19. Peter was born Clarence Clifford McRae III on April 4, 1946, to Pete McRae, a Marine pilot and his wife Bonnie. The family moved to Santa Ana, CA when he was 7 years old where he remained until his retirement. Early in his life, his friends called him Pete and his family called him "little Pete" until he legally changed his name to Peter Grant McRae at the age of 15. Peter graduated from Tustin High School in 1964. Throughout his life, he was an avid hobbyist and was known to take up a new interest not in passing, but with mastery. As a young man, he enjoyed water skiing on the Colorado River, racing cars, and riding motorcycles. Peter learned photography, earned a pilot's license, and spent a period of his life as a deep-sea fisherman. While he lived most of his life as a proud resident of Orange County, the place he found most happiness was the Kemper-Campbell Ranch in Victorville, a guest ranch that he visited regularly for 64 years. Peter enjoyed successful careers in the automotive, mortgage, and technology service businesses among others. Most importantly he was widely known as a loyal friend who filled a room with his larger than life presence. His friends reminisce about his intellect, loyalty, and most of all about his happiness once reunited with his high school sweetheart and love of his life Carol Rohrs. Peter moved to join Carol at her home in Parker, Arizona and retired with friends on the river that he had loved his whole life. And nothing made his life more complete than meeting their son, Michael Rogers for the first time in March of 2020: The pride and joy that he expressed from being able to know that his boy had a wonderful life, successful career, and was an amazing person, could only be described as "the happiest time of his life." He is survived by Carol, their son Michael Rogers, sister Marcia Nellesen, and nephews Grant, Matthew, and Philip.