Kostandeno Jerry Petsas' Obituary
Kosta J. Petsas passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was born on March 9, 1945, in Richmond, California, to Jerry & Mary Petsas.
Kosta was a natural-born leader holding class presidency at the University of San Francisco and was the Student Leader of the Pep Band and then became the Head Cheerleader at the University. On March 10, 1966, Roger Williams from the San Francisco Examiner wrote an article about Kosta titled,” Name Leads To Fame, With a name like Kosta Petsas, a guy has to be good” for Kosta’s direction and being at the forefront for the Dons. He was awarded the St. Ives Honor Law Society Award in his graduating year as a senior at the University in 1967 with a B.A. and Major in Political Science and Philosophy.
He loved being in the military, willingly joined the Marines, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant at Quantico, Virginia, in 1967. He served three years, which included 18 months in Vietnam, and commanded an infantry “Company” in combat for eight months.
Thereafter, he was assigned duties as Legal Officer and acted as trial and defense counsel in Summary and General Court Martials. Throughout his service, he was awarded the
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation (three stars), Navy and Marine Unit Citations, National Defense Medal, Campaign Medal, and Sharpshooter Awards.
He later attended the Southwestern University School of Law and was honored with the American Jurisprudence Award. He was President of Phi Alpha Delta, Vice President of the Student Bar Association, and was awarded Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities from 1973 through 1975. He graduated as a Juris Doctor in June 1975 and commenced his love of law as an Attorney, mentoring many throughout his career.
In 2001, he married Lupe, and they had a son they named Efthimios, the light in Kosta’s eye, who filled his heart with pride and joy. As golfing was Kosta’s favorite pastime, he and
Efthimios spent much time with family and friends on golf courses such as Pebble Beach, Half Moon Bay, Maui, Silverado, and Napa Valley.
Kosta served as President at the Tanforan Building in South San Francisco, where his law
office was located. He held golf tournaments to raise funds for a local grammar school and was on a committee for the Stanford Cardinals Fencing team at Stanford University.
Throughout his life, he was a generous, kind, and spirited man who loved his family, friends, golf, music, and cars. He will be missed by many.
Kosta is survived by his wife, Lupe, and son, Efthimios; his brothers, George and Lee Petsas and his sister, Pam Petsas. He is also survived by cousins, nieces, nephews, and many
friends.
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