An Obituary for the Richest Person In San Francisco

AKA The Post I Never, Never, Never Wanted to Write, Ever

The Richest Person in San Francisco died last week. Maybe you knew the Richest Person in San Francisco, or maybe you didn’t, but regardless, his sudden and unexpected death leaves a hole in the hearts of his many, many friends and neighbors. Even those that didn’t know him will feel the loss as well, because he was involved in so many things behind the scenes. He was also a really good friend of mine and I miss him already and it’s only been a week.

The Richest Person in San Francisco was not a tech titan nor a member of the wealthy elite, and does not have any buildings with his name on them, or an expensive yacht to race. That said, to me, he was always the Richest Person in San Francsico.

That’s because he leaves behind a priceless legacy of kindness, friendliness and community involvement that was a source of positive energy wherever he went. His impact on the world around him is almost impossible to calculate - and why it hurts so much to have him go so suddenly.

Barbara was kind enough to post this nice tribute on her community bulletin board at 6th and Irving this week

So who am I talking about? My good friend John Bouvier. He died last week after the end of our weekly happy hour (number 280!) on 6th Avenue. It was sudden and unexpected and it’s really hit his many friends from all over the City and our neighborhood hard.

I could try and list all the community events and projects he was involved with in the Inner Sunset, and the City, over the years, but any list I’d compile would be incomplete. John’s goodness wasn’t confined to formal projects - he was just a great friend who always had a kind word and a joke for you whenever you saw him, be it on his bench on 6th Avenue, or around town at any one of many community events.

He was also a great neighbor, always willing to help someone who needed something, be it a ride somewhere or just someone to listen when they needed it.

Various pictures from Happy Hour over the years

When John hosted the weekly happy hour, I would always be amazed at how many people he knew, from all walks of life in our City, and elsewhere, who’d stop by and say hi. Many people made friends they might not have otherwise met because of John’s hospitality. That’s a kind of wealth you can’t measure in a bank statement or a spreadsheet, and it’s worth a lot more in the end.

John always made sure that people felt welcome, and in 280 weeks of meet ups, we always had a good group of people to hang out with, first during the pandemic, and later as an informal community event that most people, myself included, considered a fixture in our small part of the City. It became something to look forward to, no matter how bad the week had been and was a big part of my life these past five+ (!) years.

More images of John, friends, dogs, and yeah, that the City Attorney who happened to pass by on his way home

Chris Duderstadt (another local treasure in the Inner Sunset) made this video a few days ago, and it’s worth checking out because it’s a really nice tribute to him and his legacy, and also what a fun guy he was.

However, in the end, I just miss my friend more than anything else. He was a great person to talk to about anything, from silly stuff, to local history, to what was going on in the neighborhood.

Sometimes I’d see him on his bench and stop off and say hi on my way home and we’d chat for even just a little bit. I will never forget his kindness and what a fun guy he was and it sucks I can’t see him tonight at happy hour.

John and I at the Inner Sunset Flea Market. Photo courtesy of Angie Petit-Taylor of the Sunset Mercantile

Safe travels, my friend.

A painting of John in front of his house by local artist Doug Gourney commissioned by myself and Margaret Mori, a neighbor of John’s whom I met at happy hour

Update 10/12/2025: One of John’s (young) neighbors made this the other day and I wanted to be sure people got to see it.