Peter Edwin Schwede

In 1942, Pete’s American-born father evacuated his family to the US due to imminent danger of invasion by the Japanese. Sailing across the Pacific the family landed in Long Beach, California which became their permanent home. Pete attended school there. He was a member of the St. Luke Choristers and was featured in several films. He also loved the sea and worked on fishing boats as a boy. He became a naturalized citizen on his 21st birthday and served in the US Army stationed at Fort Ord. An avid traveler, Pete toured the US and abroad. He loved history and collected maps and books.

Pete was a skilled builder working in metal as well as traditional materials. He was especially adept in fire damage and historical restoration . Among his fondest memories was working on Madam Mojeska’s mansion in southern California and saving and rebuilding the Messilla Valley School. After the death of his brother, Glen, Pete took over the company Monro and Schwede and worked in southern California until he relocated to the north in March 1984. There he bought a deserted ranch which he named Coyote Acres, in the Messilla Valley, Butte County. The ranch became a haven for a variety of burros, horses, goats, cats dogs, possums, vultures and other fauna.

Pete met his future wife, Becky, in 1956. They went their separate ways until 1983 when they reunited. They married in July 1994.

In 2012, Pete was forced by health problems to leave Coyote Acres and move to Paradise, California.

In November of 2018, Pete and Becky became victims of the Camp Fire. They lost everything they owned and stayed in Sacramento until they found another home in the foothills above Oroville. There Pete started a garden with a birdbath and bench which had escaped the fire. The pair began to build another home containing the things they both loved. They greatly enjoyed the birds and animals which lived there with them. They lived in Oroville almost seven years until Pete’s death on May 9, 2025 He would have been 89 on June 26th of that year,

Pete requested no service Donations in his name to Oroville SPCA.