Peter Francis Dunne III

1930 - 2021

Peter Francis Dunne III
April 25, 1930 – October 13, 2021
Peter Francis Dunne III, 91, of Burlingame, CA died peacefully at home on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. Peter was the son of Arthur Bergin Dunne and Elizabeth MacArthur Dunne. His siblings included: Bergin Dunne (Eve Bordé), Elizabeth "Betsy" Skewes-Cox (Martin V.) and Robert MacArthur Dunne (Lynn Griffith). Peter was a proud fourth generation San Franciscan. He attended Grant Grammar School and was class of 1948 at The Thacher School in Ojai, CA. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1957 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, after serving several years in the Navy during the Korean War. Throughout his schooling, he made life-long friends; many of whom were a part of his Chi Phi fraternity days at Cal.
After graduation, Peter thoroughly enjoyed the social scene in San Francisco, and served as President of The Bachelors, a philanthropic organization. Peter relinquished the position upon marrying Kay Van Vliet in 1961. In 1966, Peter and Kay moved their young family to Burlingame where they spent the remainder of their lives. Kay predeceased Peter in 2016.
From an early age, Peter excelled in sports. He was particularly skilled at cross country running, baseball and tennis. But his true love was golf. He was an avid player, hardly missing a weekly round well into his 80's at the San Francisco Golf Club and the Burlingame Country Club, and saw once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to play Augusta National Golf Club and the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Peter spent his career as an Electrical Engineer in Silicon Valley – most notably at the Ampex Corporation where he worked on large format analog multitrack tape recorders, in support of large government contracts.
Though Peter was the quieter half in his marriage, he was known as a fun dinner partner, with a twinkle in his eye and a quick wit. His children remember him for always being there for them: running tennis drills, initiating fishing contests on the Truckee River, throwing a baseball on the front lawn, or demystifying high school physics. Peter's mathematical mind made the Chronicle Sudoku puzzle a daily must-do and his weekly dominoes game with his golf pals a highlight never to be missed.
Peter is survived by his three children: Elizabeth "Betsy" (Jack Bellotti), Peter (Debbie) and Samantha; his grandson Ian MacArthur Dunne; his brother Robert; and numerous Dunne and Skewes-Cox nephews and nieces. Peter also wishes to thank long-time housekeeper and friend Paca Trujillo for her help.
A private family service is planned for November. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Peter's name to The Thacher School in Ojai, CA.