Peter Walter Claassen

Peter Walter Claassen passed peacefully on September 26, 2024, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Peter was born in Albuquerque on January 2, 1952, at St. Joseph's Hospital to Richard and Ruth Claassen and grew up in the Southeast Heights. At Highland High School, Peter flourished under the art tutelages of Bill Howell and Frank McCulloch. He avoided the typical school sports but loved everything out of doors: he was a stand-out on the Sandia Peak Ski Team and earned a spot on the ski team of Colorado State University; he began a life-long love of bike riding by cranking up the back of the Sandia mountains and when he was 40 biked solo from San Francisco to New York; he relished family and boy scout camping trips and backpacking adventures with friends; and as an adult he enjoyed many golf outings with friends and co-workers. When not outside, Peter was in the garage tinkering with car engines-another life-long passion that saw numerous MG's, Alfas and BMW's in various states of repair. His love and study of machines also extended to airplanes, trains, and computers.

Peter's life and career took him from coast to coast. He graduated in 1975 from the University of Colorado's School of Environmental Design and landed a job with the prestigious national architectural firm, Gensler & Associates, earning his architectural license via apprenticeship and exam. Peter's job at Gensler as an interior architect took him to New York City for many years and then his career took him to the California Bay area where he transitioned to construction project management. The demands and stresses of the Big Apple left no time for Peter's personal art, but a hiatus and tour of the National Parks before his move to the west coast rekindled his desire to capture the landscape and he eventually left watercolors and took on the challenge of plein air oil painting. The collection he leaves behind includes beautiful seascapes of Big Sur, evocative images of iconic New Mexican locales and wonderful renderings of the mountains and streams around Steamboat Springs, Colorado, home of his sister Sally, where he moved upon retirement.

Peter was married in his twenties, and then had various gorgeous girlfriends, the last and most loved of whom was Christy Frantz of Redwood City, California. Peter was not blessed with children of his own but was a generous and fun uncle to his two nieces.

Alzheimer's disease was a cruel thief that visited Peter too early in life. However, he largely accepted his fate gracefully, perhaps due to the years he had devoted to a meditation practice. In 2020, Peter came full circle and returned to Albuquerque to live in memory care and be near his sister Ann near the foot of the Sandias.

Peter was a kind, good-humored and gentle soul. The many friends he had coast to coast is a testament to the fine and loving quality of his character. He was a handsome son of a gun, had a big grin and often would break into sustained laughter. He was multi-talented in the architecture world, athletics, art studio, and woodshop and underneath a car. He loved his dogs and cats, especially his huge yellow Lab, Dutch. He could be goofy and impulsive and never lost a certain child-like quality. He is survived by his sister, Ann "Qris" Claassen and partner, Dee McWilliams, sister Sally Claassen and husband, Mark Darlington and his nieces Kate and Liza Darlington.

Donations in Peter's memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, or the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.