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BORN
1957
DIED
2018
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William Peet Obituary
1957 - 2018
William Creighton Peet III, known throughout his life as "Tony", was born on May 21, 1957 and passed away on January 23, 2018 after a long and valiant struggle with depression.Tony was the son of William Creighton Peet Jr. of Rye, New York, and Helen Hope of New York City. He spent his childhood in San Francisco, first attending Town School for Boys and Cathedral School and then graduating from St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts in 1975. He graduated from Stanford University with the class of 1979, where he was Senior Class President.
Tony grew up on skis. He learned to ski at Sugar Bowl Resort on Donner Summit, where as a child, when he wasn't flying down the mountain, he would ride for hours in the "Weasel", the ancient red snowcat that served the community there, helping the driver with grocery deliveries and other errands.
After graduation from Stanford, Tony worked in advertising both in New York City and San Francisco, where his brilliant creativity and hilarious sense of humor shone even brighter. He eventually left his job in San Francisco to spend two years at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, where he fell deeply in love with Pacific Grove, which became his home for the rest of his life. His morning walks on Asilomar Beach sustained him daily, and the community itself became his friend.
Tony was very active politically. He was heavily involved in several presidential campaigns, where his advertising skills were strong assets. One of his more famous escapades during the Iraq war years was to hire a small plane to fly above the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament trailing a banner proclaiming "Play Golf, Not War".
A committed supporter of numerous environmental causes, Tony was a member of the Board of Directors of LandWatch and for many years worked as a docent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Tony cared passionately about personal growth and devoted countless hours to working on himself in addition to helping others. His big heart and generous spirit endeared him to his many friends whom he loved and who loved and cared about him throughout his life. In recent years, his friends at Breakthrough Men's Community and the Center for Spiritual Awakening in Pacific Grove were key to his well-being, sustaining him with love and support. He will be sorely missed by all whose lives he touched.
Tony is survived by his brother, Dave Austen, and his sisters, Hope Page and Lea Hooker, and six nephews and nieces. A celebration of Tony's life will be held on Saturday, February 10th, at 11a.m. at the Center for Spiritual Awakening, 522 Central Avenue, in Pacific Grove, CA. Any memorial gifts in Tony's name may be made to the Center for Spiritual Awakening (www.centerforspiritualawakening.org), the Ventana Wildlife Society (www.ventanaws.org), or the Esalen Institute (www.esalen.org).
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for William Peet
Sponsored by The Paul Mortuary.
Ramona Jones
February 9, 2018
It is with great sadness that I write this for I had just emailed Tony this morning to share that I was coming to Esalen for a visit and hoped to be able to share time with him.
Tony and I met at Esalen while working in the office and shared in the journey of relationship for the time that we lived there in the early 1990's. In that year together, we dove deep into what it meant to be in relationship both with ourselves and with one another. One month into our relationship, Tony suggested that we do couples therapy as an exploration. We had weekly sessions for that year and after each session we would go to Deetjens for a Cappuccino, write in our journals and then share about our thoughts and feelings. Tony was a loving, caring man who was devoted to looking deeper into himself and others. We shared in the experience of being coupled at Esalen which at times was fiery and we enjoyed dance, tantra, a nice glass of red, much laughter and many tears too.
Tony was the first human being who when I shared about my painful childhood experiences, said, "I am so sorry that that happened to you". I had never heard those words before and it was Tony's influence that helped me to embark on the healing journey that I did both at Esalen and afterwards.
If you can hear me Tony, I want you to know that you were a dear heart and I am so sorry that you suffered so. I work in Mental Health as a Counsellor and understand all too well the toll that depression can take on a persons' life. Sometimes, the darkness is just too dark and becomes unbearable and living any longer is not possible.
I am deeply saddened Tony to know that you were in such pain.
I love you dear one.
Ramona
Anne Canright
February 8, 2018
I am so sorry to hear this news. Tony was a gentle, sweet soul whom I was always happy to bump into, however rarely that happened. I will miss him.
February 5, 2018
Tony...It has been almost 4 decades since I have seen your sweet face and heard your funny laugh! I will cherish my memories of the "Green Street Days". We had some wild, fun times in 8th grade! I'm glad that you were part of my life. I hope you are at peace my friend ❤
Joan Henderson
February 4, 2018
I hope Tony knows now how much he meant to me.
This hurts a lot, Tony, more than that snow ball you threw at me at Sugar Bowl...I hope you are with my brother, Jim now, making him laugh as you always did with me....even though our time together was too short, I'll never forget the connection we had. The honesty, the similar thoughts, the longing for more time...Thank you for all you gave me of yourself. I have and always will miss you.
Joan
Gretta Ryan
February 3, 2018
I wish I had known Tony as an adult because he clearly grew to be an amazing man. He was a dear childhood friend and I have had many fond memories these last few days since hearing of his passing.
I'm sure he rests in the peace that his earthly presence couldn't give him.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Jerome
February 3, 2018
I went to Tony's facebook page, and the last entry is a photograph of a hillside of flowers, bright with sunshine. I think he left that for us: to think of him there, chin up, facing the sun.
The school motto at St Mark's was Age Quod Agis: do what you do to the best of your ability. Tony gave everything to the land he loved, the values he cherished, and the future he believed in.
Jack Caspar
February 2, 2018
I remember a good natured guy hiking with us on Mt.Desert Island when we celebrated the birthdays of several family members.
February 2, 2018
Tony was my cousin, next-door neighbor, classmate till tenth grade, and friend. He was in every way precocious, funny, and blessed: a stable family, quick and agile mind, friends in abundance. Had I plotted the trajectory of his life when we last saw each other at a dinner party in 1980, I would never have come to this conclusion. A mutual friend filled in many of the blanks which answered some of the questions left by his death, and enabled me to understand how it might be a triumph, Pyhrric, but victory nonetheless. Which is not easy for me: in my mind's eye I see the anguish on his mother's face as I enter Grace Cathedral for the memorial service of my father, who died by his own hand in 1979 after years of depression. I am so sorry that Tony suffered so much that he found life unendurable. On the face of it he had every advantage, and I've been thinking of him since hearing the news.
He wrote a poem in eighth grade entitled "Little Bug-getta," this being a slug-bait his mother used in her garden.
One weekend he and George Everly drove to Las Vegas in the family car. Not the Jag, the Cougar, if I recall correctly. They were in the eighth grade. Somehow Tony managed to talk his way out of a speeding ticket in Nevada. He told me he'd claimed that he was traveling at a speed that was legal in California. At any rate the cop let them go. But the car had been damaged somehow in the course of their trip, and Tony spread the remains of the headlight in front of the car upon his return. My mother had, however, noticed its absence, and Tony was busted.
He was a charmer of exceptional talent and wit. A former girlfriend, without a trace of criticism, told me she'd found a notebook he kept listing all his girlfriends. Those he'd loved had gold stars next to their names. The epigraph read, " Women are like roller-coasters: once you've tried one, you want to try them all." Realizing in the metoo era this may not qualify as a PC recollection, it still goes to the heart of my memories of Tony, full of life, love, and wonder. Devoid of malice in any form.
There was no darkness in him when I knew him, no hint that he would ever find himself unequal to the challenge of life. He was a lovely man. I am so sad for him and his family. My grandmother, speaking of my father, said that she was glad he was no longer in pain. I hope that Tony's family can see his end in the same light.
Peace Tony. Peace.
Rob Lenahan
January 31, 2018
Katie Lenahan Kearney
January 31, 2018
RIP Tony. Spent my youth living nearby and playing with Tony. I will remember his sense of humor and loving spirit.
Evangeline Lincoln Wollmar
January 30, 2018
Tony and I met when I was 14 and he was 15. He was one of the funniest people I had ever known. He also helped me through a tough period when I was being bullied by some girls at our boarding school. He helped me keep my chin up, kept me laughing, and made me feel so wonderful and really boosted my self-esteem. I am so incredibly sad to hear of his passing. But, I will always remember how he made me laugh until my face hurt and how warm and loving his hugs were. Dearest Tony, I'll always remember you with a smile.
Kitty Patnode
January 29, 2018
There are people you meet who change your life in ways you can't explain. Something about them touches your soul and seeps into your being and makes you see the world in ways you never could before. Suddenly colors are brighter, music is sweeter and magic appears in the tiniest simplest things. And you carry this thing, this warmth, this fragile but lovely glow with you deep inside long after that first meeting.
You take it out from time to time when things get rough or life beats you up a bit and you remember the face that goes with it . And you remember the laugh and the music and the friendship and you take a deep breath and things are OK again.
My dear friend Tony Peet (or tonymoco as we all called him) was one of those people. We met for the first time 10 years ago and were instantly connected. He has been a long distance friend since then but a dear and wonderful friend nonetheless.
I will miss him so very much but at least I still have that tiny, fragile, beautiful gift he gave me by being my friend and I will carry it with me always and with it my heart will heal.
RIP my lovely friend.
Sherri Nielson
January 27, 2018
He was generous and kind--concerned about the world and all those in it. He was a champion for the environment and he loved pelicans. He was my friend. RIP Tony
Christy Best
January 27, 2018
He was a dear friend for many years. He is at peace now but he will be missed. RIP Tony
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