Peter George Sandbank

Peter George Sandbank, 83, of Falls Church, passed away July 11, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia, after taking ill while touring through Europe. Born in Brooklyn, NY on December 29, 1939 to the late Viette (Count) and Harold Sandbank, his family moved to the Washington, DC area in 1945. Raised in Arlington, Peter excelled as an athlete at Wakefield High School before serving in the Navy, and attending the University of Maryland. He was an engineer with Lockheed Martin, IBM, and Litton, in defense and aerospace electronics, creating components for sophisticated radar and sonar systems for all branches of the military, as well as components for NASA, including the Pathfinder mission with the Mars rover, Sojourner.

In addition to his parents, Peter was preceded in death by his wife of over 40 years, Libby (Auten), with whom he traveled extensively with after retirement and were involved in the arts and theatre scene in Washington DC, holding decades long memberships to Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Phillips Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the National Symphony Orchestra, among others. Peter enjoyed fine dining and was regarded as an excellent cook himself, he was encouraged by some to open a restaurant of his own. He will be remembered for his wide range of knowledge, wonderful sense of humor and boisterous laugh, and fondness of the family's dogs, Zero, Trina, Tina, and Sammy.

Peter is survived by his son Christopher, daughter-in-law Rosecelle, granddaughter Sophia, two sisters, Linda, and Patricia, a brother, Joe, numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

A celebration of life memorial service for Peter will be held Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-fh.com for the Sandbank family.