Dr. Peter Anthony Remedios

Peter Anthony Remedios, MD, 64, passed after a short illness at Swedish Hospital, Seattle on July 1, 2021.  He managed to  lead an amazing life with quiet grace. 

He was a very good radiology partner swapping days, shifts or weeks at Inland Imaging, headquartered in Spokane, WA.  He helped grow the practice in Seattle.  Peter was a former board member. 

Peter was licensed in WA, CA, MT, AZ & TX.  He was about to retire as a partner with Inland Imaging; however, Peter started AI Radiology courses during the Covid pandemic.  He wanted to advance his specialty during his upcoming “non-retirement.”  His sights were set on Austin, TX.  He wanted to play tennis outside, drive on a dry track, be in a tech hub. 

In the early 1990s in Beverly Hills at the very hip Kate Mantilini’s Restaurant on his first date with Joy they were seated next to Pat Sajak with Pat’s date.  Peter told Joy about his family and his kid sister, Linda Sue.  Joy wasn’t sure she knew what Down’s Syndrome was.  When he described his sister as one of God’s little angels, Joy knew Peter had no compassion deficits.  Peter was no LA bad boy.  

They were invited to Doc Severinsen’s Hollywood Hills home on another date where they got engrossed with legendary star Ruta Lee with some fabulous movie set stories at that party.  

On another date, Peter took Joy to the LA Lakers Championship Final Game when Coach Pat Riley and his slicked back hair were hot stuff.  

Peter took up adult hockey in LA learning to skate, playing defenseman and meeting Gordie Howe on the ice!  Gordie Howe signed Peter’s stick.  Peter loved hockey especially supporting the up-and-comers with the Seattle Thunderbirds.  He was thrilled about the Kracken! 

Before their marriage, Peter took his Mother to Hong Kong, his mother’s birthplace while it was still British & Sidney, Australian to see family and Hong Kong friends; then Portugal even dragging her to a day of formula 1 racing long before any Porsche ownership.  She was such a sport!   You know she was bored out of her mind.  But what a mom!  

Peter and his Mom flew to Brazil to visit his dad’s side, who fled Shanghai first from the invading, brutal Japanese and then from the Communists.  He was a very good son.  

Peter took his Mother to England to see her baby brother, his wife and adult children.  When they toured Buckingham Palace, she whispered to Peter the exterior needed a paint job.  That’s a Xavier for you.  He took his Aunt & Uncle Benny and Mom as a treat to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit stage production,  Phantom of the Opera in London.  When it came to LA he wanted Joy to see it with him.  Joy saw Peter shyly wipe his eye.

Peter was a radiologist to a Charlie’s Angel Jacqueline Smith, La Liz, Miles Davis and Michael Jackson and other Hollywood entertainment giants while at St John Hospital, Santa Monica before the big ‘94 earthquake.  Another time he got Designing Women’s sitcom star Dixie Lee to autograph her glamour photo assuring Joy how lucky she was to have Peter in her life.  What a southern belle!

At a swanky St John gala fundraiser, he was photographed with the Swedish supermodel Vendela.  At a different St John gala in the Beverly Hills Hotel ballroom Peter was gifted with a book of poems written and signed by Jimmy Stewart, a very active hospital patron and supporter.

A few years after they married in 1993, the couple moved to the Big Island. But before Joy  joined Peter in Kona, the couple went to the Grammy Awards at the Shriners Auditorium, Los Angeles.  Amazing. 

Peter worked at Kona, Hilo and North Hawaii Community Hospitals for 2 years able to see Xavier cousins on Oahu and a Brazilian-born Remedios cousin and her growing family on The Big Island.  

At the Kona airport there’s Ellison S Onizuka  Space Center, named after a local boy with parents working hard at their small grocery store up on the coffee belt road.  From such a humble background Ellison made good as an astronaut with a tragic accidental death.  Here they met at the Space Center then current astronauts talking about training and answering questions in an intimate Aloha setting. 

Peter was briefly a friend in Kona to Hollywood creative talent Don & Marge Brinkley, parents to supermodel Christie B and “uptown girl” muse to Billy Joel, and in Don’s own right a prolific writer/producer of Ben Casey, Trapper John, MD, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ironsides among many other great TV shows.  Remember those?  When shows had a plot and well defined characters?  

They settled in gorgeous Puget Sound.  They went to All Star Games and World Series Games.  He joined Joy for the Chicago White Sox 2005 victory parade down LaSalle Street with Chicago rocking citywide.  

Joy’s Mother flew in from Florida to join the fun and she chatted up Joe Morgan in the restaurant lobby not being able to place him, but knew his voice.  Peter was chuckling in the background because he knew.  Finally seated, he told Louise, it was Joe Morgan.  Joy’s Mother, Louise was thrilled.  Louise so perfected the art of the brag.

In Seattle they attended a private cocktail party to meet and greet the Blue Angels during their SeaFair Show.  They talked to several about their journey, responsibilities and duty.  The Blue Angels are so humble.  Peter got a signed copy of a Blue Angels pilot’s book.  

Tennis lovers and players, under the sharp eye of tennis pro JJ Jackson at Boeing Employees Tennis  Club, Peter and Joy completed 4 Grand Slams as spectators with repeats to the US Open in New York City and The French.  The last time at Roland Garros Rafa Nadal played on Philippe Chatrier, center court on red clay.  Or, as the French like to say terre battue.

Peter found his Porsche passion in the Pacific Northwest and loved tracking with his bodacious band of brothers. Peter and Joy visited German automakers and flew down the right lane of the Autobahn with Peter behind the wheel. 

He gave up on the Mariner baseball coining “SOM” or Same Old Mariners… just too many disappointments.

But Peter loved the Seahawks and rooted and pulled for whatever team Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing was with.  Todd is the nephew of Joy’s former art director.  They went to a few of Todd’s games and enjoyed every minute jawboning about inside NFL football with Todd.

Because of a mutual interest in Porsches, Peter enjoyed his friendship with guitar rock star Vivian Campbell who invited the couple to the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, WA with front row seats and backstage passes for a few more Porsche photos and track talk before the band hopped on tour buses.  

In Seattle, it was Peter who diagnosed Paul Allen. When Peter came home after that shift he was very solemn, crestfallen.  He knew Paul didn’t have much time.  He told Joy after the news broke about Paul Allen’s diagnosis. 

Peter lived a fabulous life because he was a fabulous man.  How can we be sad?  He deserved a fabulous life because of his nature. If only he could stick around a little longer.

Born 12/27/56 in Hong Kong to Celeste (Sally) Xavier Remedios from Hong Kong and Guy Remedios, born in Shanghai, China he arrived by boat to San Francisco as a baby with his 4 year older brother, Kenny and grew up in Dublin, CA.  He was a co-valedictorian at Dublin High School.  He graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a BA summa cum laude, June, 1978.  Peter graduated in June, 1982 from UCSD Medical School, with an Interventional Fellowship in Radiology from LA County/USC Medical Center, June, 1988.  He took pride being a “County Cowboy.”

Peter was a patriotic, naturalized citizen.  He was Joy’s cheerleader, travel agent, expert locator and superb travel partner-detective.  His fingerprints are all over 2 blogs titled, “Hunting WWII Gold Star Families” at SKCGS.org.  

A generous man, even in death, Peter donated his corneas to Sightlife.  

He is survived by his older brother, Kenneth (Judith) in Nashville with 2 nephews, Sam and Luke; his sister, Miss Linda Sue Remedios, San José, CA; and, his Chicago-born wife, Joy Etienne, Seattle, WA. Cousins span the globe. 

 A friend observed, “Peter’s flamboyance lies in his easy, quiet, wise manner.”  His dry Bob Newhart sense of humor is missed already.  

Joy and Peter celebrated their 28th anniversary on May 30 right before his unexpected illness.  Dr Peter Remedios requested to be laid to rest by Joy’s father, Edward Etienne and across from a WWII hero at Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL. A special mass was held at St Benedict Catholic Church, Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii.  

We will stay as close as pages in a book. 

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