1940 – 2015

EAST LIVERMORE — John Peter Riordan, 75, of East Livermore, left this world on Tuesday, July 14, to join the Great White Buffalo in its happy hunting grounds.

Peter was born on April 7, 1940, in the East Livermore, home of his late parents, George and Serena Riordan, in sight of the home that he later built and in which he resided for the last 26 years of his life.

Peter was a meat and potatoes kind of guy — especially potatoes, a love that was perhaps genetically predetermined by his Irish heritage. As for meat, for him, it came in only two modes — well-done or shoe leather. He appreciated a glass of wine with his meals, but only if the wine came from a box. He was not much for pretensions.

Peter prided himself on being handy and self-sufficient. His years working as a truck driver demanded those skills. No one rivaled him in his ability to string together colorful curse words while working on his truck during the weekends, but he respected that there was a time and place for such language and kept his talents to himself when the occasion demanded it.

As anyone who struck up a conversation with him knew, Peter had strongly-held beliefs, particularly in the matter of politics, and was never afraid to express his views and stand his ground. Those traits may not have served him so well in the Army and he often mused that his penchant for speaking truth to power may have been behind his transfer from the desert of White Sands, N.M., to the frozen tundra of Fort Churchill, Manitoba. The latter assignment, however, fostered a life-long love for, and appreciation of, polar bears.

Peter’s strong sense of justice was matched only by his willingness to go to court to be vindicated. Notwithstanding frequently being out-lawyered, he never lost a court case because he only chose this route when he knew within his bones that he was right and that he had been wronged. The more esteemed and powerful his opponent, the more he relished his victory. If there is a next life, he’ll undoubtedly be back as a lawyer who is focused solely on fighting for the underdog.

His mother frequently observed, “One drop of Riordan blood spoils generations.” It is clear that Peter’s stubbornness, love of an argument in the pursuit of justice, and fair complexion live on in the two generations which survive him. They are proud to be so “spoiled.”

He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Kellee; his daughter, Kelly Horwitz; his sons, Shannon, Matthew and Jeremy; his grandchildren, Samantha and Isaac Horwitz; his brother, O’Brien; his sisters, Rose Orcutt and Rita Mynahan; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, George and Serena; his brothers, Joseph, James, Patrick and Hugh; his sister, Jane; and his beloved St. Bernard dog, Dudley.