Pete Perlegos
PETE PERLEGOS: LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM AS ONE OF THE LAST INDEPENDENT GRAPE FARMERS OF LODI, CALIFORNIA
Pete Perlegos was born on October 26, 1920 in the village of Garea of ancient Tegea, Arkadia, Greece, the son of Zafiris and Diamanto Perlegos. Pete celebrated his one hundredth birthday on October 26, 2020 before passing away peacefully on November 1, 2020.
His father Zafiris, together with Pete’s uncles ( Nick, John and George) had come to America in the late 1880’ s. John joined the US Navy, serving in the Spanish American War. George served in the US Army in WW I, being injured and becoming a Disabled American Veteran. Zafiris worked for Union Pacific as a foreman, bringing the railroad to the West before returning to Greece to start his family.
1945 was a pivotal year for Pete when he married Helen Mitrakis, and in that same year, joined the Greek Army to serve during the Civil War. After completing his Army service, Pete returned home and went into local politics, serving as the local Mayor and assisting many young adults prepare the correct paperwork to emigrate abroad.
In 1955 Pete left Helen and their sons ( Jeff, Gust and George) to go to America to find his younger brother, Leon. Pete made his way to Lodi, California where Leon and several of his parents’ family members had settled. After 5 years of working at every job he could find, Pete became a U. S. citizen and saved enough money to bring his family to America. Although still teenagers, Jeff, Gust and George traveled by themselves to Lodi in 1962. Helen stayed behind to take care of the farm, arriving in 1965.
Pete insisted that his sons get good educations and worked to give them that opportunity. Jeff went to U C Berkeley while Gust and George both went to Stanford, all obtaining Engineering degrees.
Pete became an entrepreneur and started buying farmland eventually becoming a force as one of the last independent farmers in the local grape industry. He continued farming up to the age of 85.
Pete’s sons inherited his entrepreneurial spirit and worked in the Silicon Valley technology industry. George invented several generations of non- volatile memory chips, first at INTEL then going on to found SEEQ and ATMEL. His Flash Memory technology became an industry standard and made today’s hand- held cellphones and personal electronics feasible.
Pete was preceded in death by Helen, his wife of 49 years who passed away in 1994 and his brothers; Baby Leon who passed away during the Spanish flu pandemic and Leon who passed away in 1988. Pete is survived by his three children and their wives, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Pete lived the American Dream. He came to America and found a better life for his family. Yet he never lost his love for Greece and returned to visit every year. He will be remembered for his focus and stubbornness to solve problems, his great sense of humor and his sharp memory up to his last day.
A family and friends celebration of the life of Pete Perlegos will be held on Saturday November 7 from 5: 00PM to 7: 00PM at the Lodi Funeral Home. His final resting place will be Garea, Greece.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Pete’s memory may be made to the Greek Orthodox Church, Stockton California.