Peter William Newendorp
Peter William Newendorp passed from this earth peacefully on April 3, 2025, surrounded by family, just two weeks before his 77th birthday. His departure came swiftly, only five weeks after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. The family was with him, and so much love and fabulous memories were shared every day. To Peter, family was the most important thing. He was never shy about sharing his pride in his family and supported us all in following our dreams.
Peter was the oldest of five children, born on April 17, 1948, in Long Beach, California, to Arthur William and Harriet Weig Newendorp. Sadly, when Peter was nine years old, Arthur was killed in an accident while getting his flight hours over Florida swamps, where the family was stationed. Peter remembered hitting his first home run in his Little League game and coming home to tell his dad, when his life totally changed. This tragedy thrust Peter into the role of “man of the family” at a young age. Harriet remarried and had two more children. They lived on several Marine Corps bases in North Carolina, Florida, and spent time in Illinois with relatives before moving to Tustin in Orange County, California, as he went into high school.
Peter attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he joined Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, where he met and married Julie, and formed lifelong friendships that anchored him to the Santa Barbara community.
At 27, following his mother’s death, Peter fully embraced his role as family patriarch, welcoming his younger siblings Susan (11) and Michael (14) into his home with his wife Julie. His brothers David and Craig also moved to Santa Barbara with them.
Professionally, Peter worked as a purchasing agent for Sea Supply, a division of Oceaneering International, from his office on the Santa Barbara Pier. A 1977 transfer to Houston was cut short by a serious car accident that broke his neck and required five weeks in intensive care. This challenge became a blessing in disguise when Julie became pregnant with their son Kenny during this period. Upon returning to Santa Barbara, they were welcomed home by a community of supportive friends, and their family expanded with daughter Karla’s birth three and a half years later.
In the late 1980s, Peter and Julie established Newendorp Bookkeeping and later he worked as a processor for McAdams Financial Services. In retirement, he fulfilled his lifelong dream by becoming a Marshall at the Municipal Golf Course in 2015, where he spent at least three days a week. He knew everyone who golfed on his days, and he loved it.
An avid athlete throughout his life, Peter enjoyed beach volleyball, baseball, softball, and basketball. He coached Kenny’s baseball teams until high school. He was an incredible coach and impacted the lives of so many young players. He attended all of Kenny’s and Karla’s games and dance performances. The tradition continued with the grandchildren, where he showed up to every game despite distance or weather until the last week of his life.
If you don’t know Peter from the sidelines or the golf course, you may know him from walking his dog at the Douglas Family Preserve, Lake Los Carneros, or at Tucker’s Grove. He was known for cleaning up all the dog poop and glass he could find and doing his part to keep his beloved Santa Barbara’s natural spaces clean. Peter cherished the outdoors, regularly hiking the Santa Barbara foothills, visiting the beach, cycling, and walking his dog at local parks, always taking extra care to maintain these spaces for everyone’s enjoyment.
Peter was a kind, gentle soul who loved meeting people and was always interested in their lives. He was a fabulous grandfather to 7 children: Megan and Erin Riley (Michael’s girls), Shawna and Christian Slagel (Susan’s children), Andy and Tyler Newendorp (Kenny’s boys), and Danny Mora (Karla’s child). He adored his children’s partners and loved being with the family.
Peter is survived by his wife of 55 years, Julie; his son Kenny with wife Katie and their sons Andy and Tyler; his daughter Karla with husband Greg and their son Daniel; his brother David; his brother Michael with wife Cherie and their daughters Megan and Erin; and his sister Susan with husband Mark and their children Shawna and Christian. A memorial service will be held on June 22 at Mulligan’s Restaurant at the Municipal Golf Course.
