Peter Becker

Peter Becker, 70, passed away peacefully at home in Santa Barbara on August 1, 2016, surrounded by people who love him. He was born on July 23, 1946 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the only child of James Milford and Mary Opal (Layne) Becker.

The family moved to La Jolla in 1956 where Peter grew up. They spent many wonderful summers in London, and traveled the world as much as they could. He attended Webb School in Claremont as a freshman and sophomore, then transferred to La Jolla Country Day School, graduating in 1964. It was during his adolescent years in La
Jolla that he designed his first house, which his parents built and which became the family home.

In 1968 Peter graduated from UCSB as a Rhetoric and Public Address major. He spent the next ten years in Santa Barbara working in residential construction; it was during that time he decided to pursue his dream of being an architect. He attended the University of Colorado in Denver, and was granted a Master’s degree in Architecture in 1981.

After graduating he moved to Los Angeles and worked closely with Charles Moore, his architectural hero. After that he worked two years with Frank Gehry, then spent four more formative years as a senior associate at Lehrer Architects.

Eventually he felt the call to move back to Santa Barbara and start his own architectural practice, which he did in 1990. Peter moved his office to the historic Flying A Studio in 1998, where he continued to practice residential architecture with great passion until his passing.

Peter approached all he did with joy and enthusiasm, and was an incredibly kind and loyal friend to very many people. He was a man of rare wit, intelligence, spirituality, generosity, and style. He will be missed terribly by all who were touched by his remarkable character and energy.

Peter is survived by his loving wife Julie, with whom he spent sixteen happy years, countless close friends and family members, and his loyal collie Ned.

There will be a memorial service for Peter at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive, at 3:00 this Sunday, August 7. The service will be held in the cemetery chapel designed by George Washington Smith, one of Peter’s favorite architects.

In lieu of flowers it was Peter’s wish that a donation be made to one of his two favorite charities, the Seva Foundation or SEE International.