Peter M Goorjian

Peter Mike Goorjian, age 82 peacefully passed away 25 July 2022, at his home in Oakland embraced with love by his wife and family. Born 8 February 1940, Peter was a first -generation Armenian American, and was raised in a warm extended family in San Francisco’s Noe Valley. He attended St. Gregory Armenian Church, played football, and spent summers as a lifeguard with San Francisco Recreational Parks. His love of Opera, Carmen in particular, rooted in his experiences during high school on stage as a supernumerary with the SF Opera.

Peter graduated from Lowell High School, and was involved in ROTC at UC Berkeley, where he earned a Master’s degree in Physics and a doctorate in Higher Mathematics. While studying at Cal, he met the love of his life, Sarah Backus, his wife of fifty-five years. After university, with his wife and then two young children, Lisa and Michael, he served as an officer in the US Army on active duty as a researcher at AMES Research Center. He taught at the University of Delaware and San Jose State, returning to research at NASA AMES, where he worked for forty-five years.

Peter’s devotion to mathematics, particle physics, and laser optics communication led to his discoveries and their applications that reached to the Moon and Mars and back; he was a fierce collaborator and his work secured eight U.S. patents and numerous awards. He shared and presented his work at professional conferences around the world and loved to document his travels at them in photographs, which he shared with family and friends.

Opinionated and passionate about world affairs, he was committed and loyal to causes he believed in from supporting KDFC and KQED, to wildlife in any form and the world’s children, most notably Armenian, and to free speech and voting rights.

Although typically clad in plaid with his glasses case in his front pocket, Peter donned Hawaiian shirts when relaxing. Throughout his adult life, he loved his annual vacation at Salmon Lake with family and friends. While he vacationed on the Hawaiian Islands, he did not let the sand settle between his toes after a Hawaiian plate lunch; he delighted in body surfing and swimming in the ocean, marveling at the tropical flowers and enjoying Hawaiian music as his soundtrack.

Having a long association with Comptche, Peter and Sarah built a custom home on their tree farm. Peter worked closely with builders to bring his vision to fruition, focusing on the house’s craftsmanship and design. He also planted many a tree on their land and took time to appreciate and draw attention to the beauty and intricacies of nature. He was happy to point out a tree, a leaf, a bird, a bug (probably one he previously had carried out of the house).

Yet he did not have to travel far to appreciate nature, as he was a great admirer of Sarah’s garden–a refuge and place to gather for refreshment with family and friends–at their Oakland home. He supported and celebrated both his daughter Lisa and son Michael’s professional and personal interests and achievements, and he was close to them, their spouses, and especially his three grandchildren, with whom he shared his love of Fenton’s Creamery among other things. Peter’s love, generosity and loyalty reached to his nieces and nephews, their families, his cousins, his aunts and uncles, and his friends with whom he collected over his lifetime. He was a connector, endeavoring to seek out and find Armenian cousins, welcoming them into the fold of his family. As a theatergoer, he was devoted to Bishop O’Dowd High School’s theater, attending plays every season during and after his son’s tenure there.

In 2017, for the first time Peter traveled to Armenia with St. John and St. Vartan churches, visiting spiritual and historical sites, reveling in his culture and making new friends as only Peter could.

Peter is survived by his loving wife Sarah, his daughter Lisa (Steve) Duh, his son Michael (Jolie) Goorjian, his three grandchildren–Avery, Anton, and Sevan-and his brother Paul (Joanne), as well as his extended family, and many, many colleagues and friends.

Please join us in honoring and celebrating Peter at St. John Armenian Church in San Francisco, Saturday, August 27, 2022, at 3 o’clock. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Save the Redwoods https://www.savetheredwoods.org/ or your favorite charity in Peter’s name.