Jan Peters

Jan Peters, loving husband, father, grandfather, educator and actor, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2013 with his wife Rita at his bedside, after several years of declining health resulting from diabetes and congestive heart failure. He was 85 years old.

Jan was born Irwin Podolsky in Brooklyn, New York on September 8, 1927, to Samuel and Yetta Podolsky. His family moved to Spring Valley, New York, where he went to school and became a state champion high school wrestler, and a budding thespian. He also served in the Navy briefly during WWII, and was honorably discharged in 1946.

Irwin’s passion was acting. In 1948 he enrolled in Ithaca College, NY, where he spent the next four years studying drama and performing in numerous stage plays and Summer Stock, which included the lead roles in “Othello” and “Death of a Salesman”. He also met many new friends at this time, including budding actors and actresses, one of whom was a man named Alan See. During college together, the men decided to legally change their names; Irwin changed his to Jan Peters, and Alan changed his to Gavin McLeod (Gavin went on to star in the Mary Tyler Moore show and as Capt. Stubing on the Love Boat). Gavin and Jan have remained close friends ever since college.

After college, Jan met a lovely Italian girl named Rita Napolitano. After a short courtship, they married on October 30, 1953, in New York City on her lunch hour in a civil ceremony. The love affair still goes on today, even after his passing.

Jan and Rita started their lives together, with Jan pursuing acting jobs on both stage and screen, moving to California, back to New York, and then finally back to California for good in 1964. Before the final move, three sons were born: Ron in 1955, followed by twin sons Rick and Randy in 1957. To make ends meet, Jan took jobs as a driving instructor, real estate agent, cab driver, and part-time teacher, while also working in Hollywood on shows like Gunsmoke, Batman, Ben Casey and Checkmate. During this time, Jan also managed to obtain a Master’s Degree in English and a teaching credential from San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN), and began his teaching career in 1965 in Thousand Oaks. Soon after his beautiful daughter, Lori, was born in 1966, Jan was hired to be a full-time English teacher at Newbury Park High School when it opened in 1967.

Jan still loved acting, and kept working in Hollywood in his spare time, with roles on series like Charlie’s Angels, Mission Impossible, Baretta, and on some movies and commercials as well. He moved his family to Thousand Oaks in 1970 to be closer to his full time work, and became active with the Conejo Players Theatre for many years, both as actor and director. His most treasured role was that of Tevya, in the musical production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Jan also loved riding his motorcycles (from Harley Davidsons to Honda Goldwings), and had a passion for outdoors and travel which took him and his family all over the country, and with his wife all over the world, including Europe, Australia and Alaska. He loved camping, and for many years made an annual trip with his boys to the Kern River for trout fishing. He was a big man who lived a big life. Serving a 23 year career as teacher, counselor and attendance officer, Jan retired from education in 1987, but spent many years afterward acting, travelling, and spoiling his grandchildren.

Jan is survived by his wife of 59 years, Rita; his sons and daughters-in-law Ron and Connie Peters, Randy and Susan Peters, and Rick and Bambi Peters; and daughter Lori and husband Todd Geist. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Marie, John, Brad, Sarah, Rachel, Blake and Allison. Memorial services for Jan will be held at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Park in Westlake Village on April 21, 2013 at 1:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, the Peters family has requested that donations be made to Jan’s favorite non-profit: One Spark Academy ( www.onesparkacademy.org).