Peter Alexander Janiak

Peter Alexander Janiak of Willits, California passed away on May 26, 2023 of heart failure. Peter was born in Hawaii to Alexander Janiak and Delphine Janiak (neé D’Araújo). He was the eldest of five children. In the early 1950’s his family moved to Oakland, California where he graduated from Bishop O’Dowd High School.

Peter’s life was filled with exemplary service to his country. Upon graduation from high school he enlisted in the army. He was a cook, a chaplain’s assistant and then trained for and joined the 101^st Airborne division in Fort Campbell, KY. He was transferred to Europe where he served combat duty as part of the 504^th Airborne Battle Group based in Mainz, Germany. After completing his military service, he used the GI bill to go to college. He graduated from San Francisco State and then UC Davis-King Hall Law School in 1970. He spent the next 50 years fighting for the equal rights of the citizens of this country. He worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a Federal Prosecutor, first in Washington DC and then at the San Francisco EEOC branch. After his retirement he continued to work in both the public and private sectors, representing employees. At age 83 he continued working right up the last few months before he passed away and was most recently Of Counsel at Garcia, Hernández, Sawhney in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Peter was a lifelong athlete and outdoorsman. He enjoyed jogging, sailing on the San Francisco Bay, hiking, gardening and caring for his koi pond. In the later part of his life the thing he enjoyed most of all was cutting down trees.

Peter is survived by his wife Laura Wiecek; his daughters Mary Caye Janiak, Claire Anne Janiak, Stephanie Janiak; their mother Christine Nahnsen; his grandsons Kamon Kirker, Markus Forester; his great-granddaughter Thia May Kirker; his sister Maria Souza, his brother Paul Janiak and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brothers John Janiak and Victor Janiak.

Services will be held on Monday, June 12 at St. Mary of the Angels Church, 900 South Oak Street Ukiah, CA. Military Honors will begin in front of the church at 10:45 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 11:00 a.m. There will be a reception immediately following the service at the Saturday Afternoon Clubhouse, 107 South Oak Street, Ukiah.