Peter B. McKay

Peter Bassett McKay, 83, passed away on September 19, 2015, at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, after a brief illness. By his side were his niece, Megan Reis, her husband Glenn, and his favorite person, great-niece Molly Lorenzi. Peter was a Monterey native who grew up in the McKay family compound along Ramona Avenue. He graduated from Monterey High School and received his BA and MA degrees from Stanford University. Between stints at Stanford, Peter served in the Navy. Over his long career with Bakersfield College, Peter taught History, Economics, and Computer Science. He was an adventurous person who climbed and skied mountains, built his own home in Mammoth Lakes, camped and fished, took sabbatical in Seattle, and sailed round trip to Tahiti. After retirement, Peter lived on his sailboat, the Monarch, in the Monterey Marina, where he helped return a lost sea lion pup, “Stubie,” to its mother. Peter loved to walk, and for many years he walked from Monterey to Carmel and back several times each week.

Peter was pre-deceased by his parents, Theodore McKay (of McKay’s Camera Shop) and Wilma Bassett McKay, his beloved sister, Polly McKay Reese, and his great-great-nephew Lincoln. He is survived by Polly’s children: Kathleen O’Connell, Peter McEvoy, Megan Reis, Patrick McEvoy, and Heather Hunt, and by their children and grandchildren: James, Kirsten, Liam, Casper, Molly, Chelsea, Logan, and Corin, as well as numerous cousins from the McKay and Bassett clans.

The family will hold a celebration of Peter’s life on Saturday, November 14th. Those who would like to join the celebration may email [email protected] for details.