William Arthur Pekarek, Jr. (LT.COL USAF RETIRED) passed away and went to be with his Savior Jesus Christ on July 5, 2020, at the age of 89.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 28, 1930 to his parents Anna Christina and William Albert Pekarek, Sr.
A beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend to many; now spending eternity in his heavenly home.
William was raised by his loving mother Anna and his father William Pekarek and had an elder brother Richard.
William (affectionately known as Bill and to his mother as Billy) attended Waverly Elementary school and after the family moved to Newbury, Ohio he attended Newbury High school, graduating in 1949. William went on to attend and graduate from the Ohio State University in 1953 with a B.S. in Agricultural, majoring in Poultry Science. William was commissioned in the United States Air Force and went on to Honorably serve his country for 20 years, retiring in February 1974. His Air Force Service Code was 1575C Electronic Warfare Officer.

During his distinguished Air Force career, William served in the following locations:
Commissioned as an Intelligence Officer 2051, 14FEB1954
Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS (3401st Student Squadron, Airborne communications maintenance school)
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City, OK (3rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, Ground Communication Officer); Included a temporary duty assignment to North Field North, SC for 75 days.
{Also where he met his beautiful wife to be Deanna Clarice Diehl with their wedding on December 2, 1955}
Narsarsuag, Greenland (51st Air Rescue Squadron, 6th Air Rescue Group serving as Squadron Maintenance Officer);
McCord AFB, Tacoma, WA (1705TH Air Transport Group, Heavy (MATS) as an Air Electronics / Group Communications Officer
Harlingen AFB, Harlingen, TX (3612th Student Squadron (ATC) Primary basic Navigation Officer Course)
Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS (3401st Student Squadron - Electronics Warfare Officer Course)
Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC. 73rd Bombardier Squadron, 4241st Strategic Wing Strategic Air Command- Electronic Warfare Officer/ Instructor B-52)
Pease AFB, Portsmouth NH (100th Bombardier Wing, 817th Air Division Strategic Air Command- Officer- In-Charge Penetration Aids/Wing Intelligence and Granted Aeronautical Rating of Senior Navigator)
Beale AFB, Marysville, CA (9th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, 4203 Strategic Recon Squadron SAC) Officer- In- Charge Analysis Unit, Chief EDP Section Officer in Charge Wing Intelligence Estimates Unit - SR-71 Blackbird computer programmer.
Temporary Duty Assignment to Anderson AFB, Guam (744th Bombardment Squadron flying 65 combat missions to Vietnam during Vietnam War - Included 65 combat missions to Vietnam and 1 over Hanoi.)

William served many years flying the B -52G Stratofortress aircraft which led to his partial hearing loss in his senior years.

William's Total Flight hours Total: 3495 Combat: 760.9
Aircraft flown included: B47, B52, KC97, KC135, U16, H21, T29, T33, C47, C54 and C123.
The list of medals and awards from Williams service were as follows:

Air Medal w/3 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Vietnam Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

After retiring from the USAF, William worked at the Fugua Modular homes facility in Marysville, CA as quality assurance for the electrical wiring. He would later work for the United States Postal Service and then took the initiative to buy a TV repair business and learned how to repair Television sets and other electronics at "Bills TV". William was attending Bible Baptist Church, Marysville, CA and dedicated his life to Jesus Christ approximately 1983.

William was a craftsman from an early age, building model airplanes and making his own sailboat. This would carry over to adulthood where he built and flew radio-controlled model airplanes and was a member of the Sierra Flyers model airplane club. He was also an animal lover who had dogs all his life starting with Collies that he entered into show competitions and later changing his preference to the smaller toy poodles throughout his adult life. Some of Williams other hobbies included photography with slides, 35mm and later videos, and playing badminton in college. He captured his travels throughout the Air Force on photography including a temporary assignment to Madrid Spain. He was proud of his Czechoslovakian heritage including his fondness for the hearty ducklings and stews as well as his mother's famous hoska and Kolache's. William was also a devoted follower of his Ohio State buckeyes and Cleveland Brown football teams. One of his last remaining interests was in working in the kitchen and preparing a scrumptious meal.

William was a devoted family man who loved and cherished his wife and children. He purchased a nice East Marysville home with a swimming pool to keep the kids close to home during their high school years. He also brought his widowed mother from Newbury Ohio to his home in Marysville, CA to take care of her during her later years. He often took his family on outings such as a 2 hour drive each way to the Bay area for an Oakland Athletics game followed by dinner at Jack London Square. William, wife Deanna and mother in law Virginia enjoyed dinners in Sacramento and frequently made the drive for a nice meal. William was a strong man who lived a long, blessed life despite his heavy consumption of cigarettes and alcohol, which may have shortened his life by a few years. William instilled in his children to be independent and to have a strong work ethic. The legacy he left behind with his children and grandchildren will live on for generations to come. We were so blessed to have him in our lives. We will miss him dearly but today we celebrate his life and thank him for all the memories. We count it a blessing the Lord has called William home and in doing so, ends the suffering he endured from swollen feet which restricted his ability to walk. Thank you, Lord.

William was preceded by his devoted and loving wife of over 64 years, Deanna and leaves behind his devoted daughter Melody Lynn Ambler, beloved son: Kevin Young Pekarek; grandsons: Christopher Ryan Guldin, Kirk Andrew Guldin, Aaron Young Pekarek, Andrew Douglas Pekarek, Paul Newsome Ambler, Matthew Alexander Besorio Pekarek and granddaughter Adona Develos Pierce; his loving brother-in-law Van Hulet Ray and sister-in-law Shirley Diehl Maier; Son-in-Law William Ambler, daughter-in-law Joan Pekarek and a host of other loving family members and countless friends whom he adored.

A Memorial Service will be held to celebrate his life on Monday, July 13, 2020 at Guardian Funeral Home from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The public is invited for personal time between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. that morning.
A second service will be held on Monday, July 13, 2020 immediately following at 2:00 p.m. at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery.