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Peter Franc Strauss

(1933-2024)

Peter Franc Strauss passed away peacefully at home in Oakland, CA on March 13, 2024. He was 90 years old. In his final days, he was surrounded with love and cared for by his children and stepchildren.

Peter was born in Boston, MA on December 3, 1933 to Ruth Franc Strauss (1900-1984) and Dr. Maurice Benjamin Strauss (1904- 1974). He spent most of his childhood in Newtonville, MA, where he lived with his father, mother, sister, and grandmother. His father, Maurice Strauss, was a renowned physician, medical administrator, teacher, and writer of medical journal articles and books. His mother was civic-minded and devoted herself to volunteer work for organi- zations including a Jewish settlement house for immigrants, the Red Cross, and the League of Women Voters for which she volunteered until the end of her life. Peter’s beloved younger sister Barbara was his closest companion until her untimely death from a rare kidney disease at age 14. Peter’s maternal grandmother, Lena Franc, fondly called Nanny by the children, moved into his childhood home when his father went to war in 1943.

Peter was a senior in high school when his sister Barbara died, and as soon as he graduated at the age of 17, he joined the army. With a strong proficiency in language, he was sent to the Army Language School (now known as the Defense Language Institute) in Monterey, CA, where he learned and became fluent in modern Greek. He spent the last 16 months of his enlistment in Salzburg, Austria. After Peter was discharged from the Army, he came back to Massachusetts where he attended Amherst College, his father’s alma mater.

Peter moved to San Francisco in the summer of 1962 and made California his lifelong home. He famously had many jobs during his first decade in California, including going door-to-door selling insurance policies, serving as janitor at an Episcopal church in exchange for room and board, driving Muni streetcars, and teaching high school English, along with being a traveling salesman pitching aluminum siding, candy machines, and corre- spondence courses.
In 1971, while still a counselor at San Ramon High School, Peter founded Discovery Center in Danville and spent 18 years there as director. What started as casual meetings with troubled students in the parking lot of the Fosters Freeze became a community institution that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. After Discovery and until re- tirement, Peter had a private practice, and also worked as an employee assistance counselor.

Peter and his first wife, Margaret Nura Clegg, were married in San Francisco in 1964 and had their first child, Jenny in 1965, followed by Joshua in 1966.
In addition to his work, Peter was an avid amateur (ham) radio operator with a penchant for being able to send very fast morse code. This lifelong hobby began shortly after World War II, when a neighbor loaned Peter an army aircraft radio that tuned to one ham band. He tried many hobbies over the years, including golf, but came back to amateur radio after many years. He was also one of the organizers of the local emergency response network, which also served to bring neighbors together in friendship and community.

Peter was well known as a community builder who co-created the Top of Broadway Terrace group. He knew his neighbors by name, and always made a point to welcome and include everyone - and say hello on his daily walks around “the island.”

He was also a dedicated member of the Netivot Shalom community, having served as the head of the chevra kaddisha tahara team for many years, the editor of Paths of Torah (an anthology of drashot by congregants), treasurer of the board, a weekly volunteer in the front office, and head of a rabbi search committee. He also volunteered as a regular “friend” to congregants who had recently lost a loved one; this meant getting together with a mourner monthly for support, sometimes with this relationship lasting for years. This, after becoming bar mitzvah at the age of 61, a profoundly proud moment for him, his family, and his Jewish community.

The love of Peter’s life was Nan Strauss, who preceded him in death by four years. Nan and Peter met in 1984, and were married in 1985. Meeting each other not only totally changed and enriched their lives, but the lives of their children as well. Nan’s children, Amy Gurowitz and Eric Gurna, lived with them in their home on Pine Needle Drive in the Oakland hills as teens/young adults. Nan and Peter filled their life with rich experiences
- they loved going to the symphony and theater and traveled the world together. Both were incredibly loving grandparents who gave generously of their attention and time to their nine grandchildren, all of whom miss them greatly. Peter and Nan remained utterly devoted to one another for over 35 years.

Peter is survived by his daughter, Jenny Strauss, her spouse, Em Howard, and their children Emmett and Marina Howard; his son, Joshua Strauss, his spouse, Shoshannah Strauss, and their children Connor, Brody, and Audrey Strauss; his stepdaughter, Amy Gurowitz and her spouse Andreas Lorenz, and their children Anja and Anika; and his stepson Eric Gurna and his spouse Elia Gurna, and their children Rosalie and Rafael.
If you wish to donate in Peter’s memory, please consider the following organizations: Women’s Cancer Resource Center:
https://www.wcrc.org/

Discovery Counseling Center of the San Ramon Valley https://www.discoveryctr.net/donate/