Peter LeSourd

1938 - 2023

1938 - 2023 Peter LeSourd passed away on January 30, 2023 at age 84 in Pasadena. His wife, Margo Halsted, passed away three weeks later on February 22. He was the son of the late Francis and Burgess LeSourd of Seattle. He is survived by his former wife Diane LeSourd, son Bruce LeSourd, stepson Chris (Dyanne) Halsted and stepdaughter Suzie (Tim) Hayes, five nieces and a nephew, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and eight great-nieces and nephews. Peter grew up in Seattle and graduated from Roosevelt High School, Stanford University and Harvard Law School. At Stanford, he was a member of the rowing crew and spent a year in Germany. After taking Navy ROTC at Stanford, he was commissioned and served two years in Washington, D.C. In the mid-1960s, Peter returned to Seattle to practice law in his father's firm, LeSourd and Patten. He was active in local civic affairs and supported the arts. He co-founded the bipartisan organization Choose an Effective City Council (CHECC) to revitalize city politics, and ran for city attorney. He was involved in organizing what became Seattle's renowned Bumbershoot music and arts festival. During this time, he met and married Diane Wegner, with whom he raised their son, Bruce. In the early 1990s, Peter moved to California to begin a decade as a law professor at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. In 1996 he was appointed by the American Bar Association as an advisor to the government of Croatia. He lived in Zagreb for one year, helping that new nation draft its first constitution. At a Stanford reunion in 2000, he met his second wife, Margo Halsted, a world-renowned carillonneur. They moved to Ann Arbor, where she was on the music faculty of the University of Michigan, and later to Pasadena to be near Margo's family. Peter was a lifelong hiker, skier, sailor and devotee of opera and classical music. In retirement, he delved into historical research and writing. Several of his articles, including a history of CHECC and the growth of wilderness recreation, were published by HistoryLink and are found on their website. As a member of Pasadena Village, he served on the Board and led numerous hikes in the mountains near Los Angeles. He was a respected natural leader who made friends wherever he went and kept them for life. Memorial Service for Peter will be held Saturday, March 25th at Villa Gardens 842 E. Villa St Pasadena, CA 91101 2-4 pm. RSVP required by March 23 to VG (626) 463-5321.