What a wonderful way to remember John.  On his birthday!  Because of course he always remembered everyone else's.

Here is my story. When John was in Law School in New Haven, he loved driving all around the state.  (Likely not a surprise to anyone who knew him.)  A favorite place to drive to was Greenwich, because he discovered there a fabulous bakery with an unusual cake called a "bee cake" (likely named for the German Bee Sting Cake).  He would happily drive 60 minutes each way just to be able to go and get some of that cake!  So, of course, for his birthday on April 18th, 1972 that's exactly what we had to do.  Drive 120 minutes round trip for John's favorite cake for his birthday.   Just watching him eat it was pure pleasure!

My name is Fabio Solano, and I’ve been in the construction industry since 1999. Through years of dedication and hard work, I gained experience across many areas, building my skills and assembling an arsenal of toolsand equipment! This journey led me to work as a handyman, and one of my first clients was John Peters.

Since 2017, John has called on me regularly to tackle various projects—small and medium—for his home. I have always had the utmost respect for him; in fact, at one point, I told him I wished he could have been my father. My partner, Antonia, and I held a special place in our hearts for John. He was not just a client but also a dear friend.

We were blessed to celebrate a memorable birthday with him and his family in April 2022, as our birthdays were close together. Looking back, we often remember him and feel his absence deeply. John will always remain in our hearts and memories.

Thank you, John and family.

With love,

Fabio Solano and Antonia Cabezas

A birthday is a wonderful time to remember John. 

Kind and generous. That is what pops into my head when I think of him.  His light continues to shine.  Kathleen Coty

John and Laura called to invite my husband and I for dinner in October of 2022, just after John’s cancer returned. Usually John was in charge of the meal planning, but this time Laura would be in the lead, with John assisting. They both sounded kind of giddy at the prospect of pulling it off.

When I asked what we could bring, John hesitated a minute and then said, “Low expectations?” We all had a good laugh and marveled that he could still summon his inimitable humor at such a point in his life.

Speechless. I’d met John in San Francisco while he worked at Zoetrope. I was a newly arrived political refugee from Transylvania,  Romania. John was a super articulated person who had a penchant to listen. To listen to someone listen je me: a lost dreamer freshly off the boat. Eventually I visited with him at Zoetrope, even met with Roman Coppola. Served on a couple of shoots. Later on met him in Los Angeles. Later still, exchanged emails. No. I cannot accept John is gone from this realm. No. The utmost gentleman. Caring. Glass half full. Sent him an email two weeks ago (after 15 years hiatus) because I read about the new top management at Netflix. Coincidence. Yet it felt like an opportunity to reconnect. 

Godspeed!

Nicolas