Gregory Michael Pedersen, 49 years of age, left us suddenly and tragically due to a heart attack on

Monday morning, July 24th, 2023 in his beloved home of 16 years, Sonoma, California.

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Greg was born on July 10, 1974 in Keene, NH. His loving and supportive parents Liz and Mike, raised him in Rochester, NH. An incredibly active, smart and mischievous kid, Greg loved to ride his bike, con his parents into a new pair of sneakers whenever possible, and loved to play hockey. When it was time for high school, Greg asked to go to boarding school to pursue a more rigorous hockey and academic program and graduated from Kimball Union Academy in 1993. Greg went on to graduate from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT where he studied Environmental Science, played 4 years of varsity Lacrosse and Hockey, and met the love of his life, his wife, Rachel Kowal Pedersen during his sophomore year.

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After college, Greg and Rachel slowly moved West together, first to Chicago, where countless early mornings and late nights were spent on Lake Michigan with their puppy Finn—but quickly knew they wanted to settle further West. San Francisco was home from 2000-2007 where they hiked, biked, camped, worked, and got their graduate degrees. During this time, they married in the White Mountains in August 2002, at a Christmas tree farm in Franconia, New Hampshire.

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By 2007 Greg and Rachel were ready to leave SF and decided to settle in Sonoma where they had their two incredible children, Isabel, 14 and Eric, 11.

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Greg worked for BioMarin for 14 years. Greg blessed his colleagues with his amiable disposition and contagious optimism while serving as the lead on Business Continuity programs, including the company's Northern California fire response. Most recently Greg had transitioned to a new role directing the Environmental, Health, and Safety team. However, when Greg met you, he rarely spoke about work; his passions were his family, the outdoors, his community and coaching his kids.

 

Greg was a key founding member of the Sonoma Youth Lacrosse League which started in 2016. The program has grown immensely and he was so proud to help pave the way to bring the sport to Sonoma Valley High School as a varsity spring sport starting in 2022.

 

Anyone who knew Greg would agree he always made time for you. He was an incredible listener and friend. He might have been the only guy in Sonoma who drank beer instead of wine, and always made the best martinis a wife could ask for. As a father and a coach, he taught us all to treat everyone how they would want to be treated. He truly valued what was important in life, and never missed an opportunity to get out into the woods, be by the ocean, or on a lake.  We will miss him more than words can say.

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Greg is survived by his wife Rachel, his two children Izzy and Eric. He also leaves behind both his parents, Mike and Liz Pedersen, his niece, Ella, and his aunt and uncle, Rick and Margaret Bieniek, and two cousins, Nick Bieniek and Midge DiLando. Not to mention, the countless friends who have become family over the years and players throughout Sonoma, of whom he coached and loved.