October 9, 1922 - August 21, 2019

Peter Mazmanian passed away peacefully on August 21st in his cozy room at Sunrise of Westlake Village, about 60 miles north of Downey. His family was with him in his last days, and he was able to hear a loving message from his daughter Chris in Austria, thanks to modern technology.

Peter was born on October 9, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan, to Armenian immigrants Kerkor and Aghavni Mazmanian. The family moved to Los Angeles a few years later after the birth of their third son, Art. Peter was part of the first class to attend all four years and graduate from Dorsey High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII with the Argus 18 Unit on Majuro in the Marshall Islands, helping pilots land on that atoll using (then) secret radar equipment. He lost one younger brother, Mike, serving in the Philippines during WWII. After the war he married Terry Terrell, whom he had met through their church youth group. They hosted annual reunion picnics of that group until 2006!

In 1953, Peter & Terry moved to Downey, where they enjoyed raising their two daughters, Chris and Cathi, in an ideal era and new neighborhood on Julius Avenue. Soon after the move, the young pair volunteered as youth leaders at the Downey Moravian Church, and continued to serve that congregation until Terry’s passing in 2004. Peter continued to worship there until his move to Westlake Village in 2014.

Peter said he LOVED his work as an electrical engineer, beginning his career in the mail room, and ending it 51 years later as Customer Service Manager for Eaton Corporation. There are many relatives, friends, and neighbors who benefitted from his electrical handiwork!

Kind, wise, honorable, and generous of heart, Peter will be missed by all those who knew him. He is survived by his two daughters on different continents and their families: Chris and Rainer Pechmann of Austria, their daughter Karin and her husband Armand Colard and sons David, Simon, and Theo, and Peter’s first grandson Kurt Pechmann; and in the U.S. Cathi and David Peterson of Camarillo, their daughter Krista and her husband Ryan Birdsong and sons Jace and Casten, and Peter’s second grandson Dana Peterson of Santa Cruz, CA. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Many thanks to Luz Aguinaldo of Downey for five years of loving, in-home care, to all at Sunrise of Westlake for five wonderful years of Reminiscent care, and to South Valley Hospice for end-of-life blessings.

Arrangements for internment are being handled by Miller Mies Downey Mortuary. A memorial service for Peter will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Downey on Saturday, August 31st, at 2pm, and will be followed by a reception on site. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Peter’s name to the Moravian Music Foundation or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Peter, Daddy, Granddaddy, Great-Granddaddy, and Uncle Pete, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”