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Pete passed away in Ojai, California. Ojai is a Native American name for the moon.
Pete even touched the lives of the Choco Indians in Panama. He spent time with them in survival training many years ago and was with them again just before his passing. The Choco Indian chief, Antonio Zarco, made him an honorary Choco Indian. The Choco Indians have a rite when a prominent member dies, whereby the spirit goes to the moon.
I Met Pete
“I am in the middle of reading Mrs. Conrad's book, so I can't make a comment about it, but given the main character and the subject matter, how could it not be a winner? I had to opportunity to meet Pete Conrad at a party in Denver, Colo., during the Grand Prix of Denver in the early 1990s. He was very gracious and friendly....just as one might expect. When I reminded him of his first words on the lunar surface, the older gentleman he was talking to when I interrupted had no idea that Pete made a joke when he first stepped from the LM onto the moon. Having read just about every book written about the space program, I can attest that Pete Conrad -- although he wasn't first -- he was often the best.”
—Tim Keenan
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