Peter Zois Gochis

Sept. 5, 1948 – May 15, 2020

Peter Z. Gochis passed away on May,15, 2020 at age 71 as a result of complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Peter’s intelligence, wit, and humility served as a source of inspiration for those lucky enough to be called a friend or colleague. His deep knowledge and passion for music, literature, and culture provided those around him with an endless well of lively conversation and joy. Peter maintained his care for others even as he faced the challenges brought on by Parkinson’s. Peter was born on September 5, 1948 to Zois P. and Chrissis (Roumanis) Gochis, Greek immigrants who found their way to California seeking opportunity. His father owned and operated a local market at 18th and Guerrero Streets in San Francisco, where Peter and his younger brother John worked as they were growing up. Peter had a deep appreciation for his Greek roots, and he frequently quoted translated aphorisms his parents had used, much to the delight of his listeners.

As a native San Franciscan, Peter knew and loved every corner of the City. Growing up in the Sunset District, he attended Jefferson Elementary until it burned down in 1959. He then attended Parkside Elementary and Hoover Jr. High, ultimately graduating from Lowell High School. He later earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Comparative Literature at San Francisco State University, going on to earn a second master’s degree, an MBA in Marketing, at UC Berkeley.

It was at SF State where Peter would meet the love of his life and his future wife, Sally Dalton. They shared a love of music, literature, culture, and especially of animals, owning and caring for many cats, dogs and horses over the course of their lives together. Peter was an avid lifelong runner and spent countless hours, in the mornings and evenings and on weekends, pounding the pavement all over San Francisco and around the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park, keeping time with the music that incessantly surged through the headphones of his well-worn cassette player. (He delighted in presenting custom mix tapes to friends.) Among his most blissful activities was running up the rocky trails of Mt. Diablo, while Sally made her way ahead of him up the mountain, aboard her beloved horse, Ali. Peter devoted hours, days, months, and years to caring for his mother and his younger brother after his father passed away, one of innumerable examples of the generosity and selflessness that epitomized his life.

Professionally, Peter was a highly respected sales and marketing executive in the cable and broadcast industries, where he held leadership positions at ExpoTV, TechTV, Turner Networks as Vice President of the Western Region, the Z Channel in Los Angeles as Marketing Manager, Televents, Inc. as Director of Marketing, Viacom Cablevision as a market planning and research analyst, and the late (and sorely missed) KJAZ Radio as an account executive. In his salad days, Peter worked blissfully behind the counters of and managed several Discount Records and Tower Records stores in the area. Later in his career, he joined Goodwill Industries as Director of Real Estate. Throughout his working life, he disproved the notion that it is impossible to be simultaneously an unerringly effective boss and a supremely nice person.

Peter was pre-deceased by his wife Sally, his parents, and his brother. He is survived by friends near and far who are left with the indelible impression of his courage and grace in the face of daunting physical challenges and the insurmountable loss of his beloved wife and companion of 47 years. His friends will miss Peter dearly but cherish his memory and the impact he had on their lives.

Peter’s friends wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the medical personnel, healthcare workers, and staff at Cypress at Golden Gate, UCSF Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Seton Medical Center, and Pacifica Nursing & Rehab Center for their professional skill and consistent compassion over the past several years of Peter’s life.

When social restrictions relating to the coronavirus have lifted, friends will gather to celebrate Peter’s remarkable life. Anyone wishing to commemorate Peter’s life with a gift close to his heart is encouraged to make a donation in his name to The San Francisco SPCA at www.sfspca.org/ give-1/ or Save Mt. Diablo at https://www.savemountdiablo.org/how-to-help/ donate/.