Paul R. Pearce

Paul Rex Pearce, 94 longtime resident of Okay, Oklahoma, passed away Friday, December 5, 2014, in Muskogee after a brief illness. He was born March 3, 1920, in Alsuma, Oklahoma (part of Tulsa county) to William Worth and Della Mae Pearce. At an early age his family moved to Baxter Springs, Kansas, where he grew up and attended school. Paul’s son recalls his father’s stories of his childhood in Baxter Springs and how his father learned to swim in the Spring River. He graduated from high school with the class of 1938 and started his first job with the Kansas State Telephone Company. While working for the telephone company, Paul also got another job working for the local barbeque and hamburger stand after hours. He knew working these two jobs together, he would be able to afford a car and he bought a 1928 Ford Model A. Not a lot of time passed, and Paul went to work in the Lead and Zink mines. On January 18, 1941, Paul married the love of his life, Freda Fern Webb of Quapaw, Oklahoma, in Joplin, Missouri. They celebrated 51 years of marriage before Freda’s passing in 1992. During Paul and Freda’s marriage, they lived in Inglewood, California, and Kansas City, Missouri, where Paul worked for North American Aviation and helped to build the B-25 Bomber. He worked in this plant when he was drafted in to the U. S. Navy. He served his country during World War II in the Pacific on the USS Proteus, a submarine tender as a machinist. His family also recalls he was at Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam and in the occupation of Japan. His ship was responsible for taking over the submarine base in Tokyo Harbor. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy, Paul worked for several good companies including, Eagle Picher, Washington National Insurance, U.S. Post Office, Corning Glass Works, and Callery Chemical. He retired from Celanese Chemical in Bay City, Texas after several years of service. He is preceded in death by his wife, Freda; his parents; his daughter-in-law, Sue; all of his first cousins and many other family members and friends. Paul is survived by his son, Larry R. Pearce and his wife, Connie of Okay, Oklahoma; his granddaughter, Dawn Fleetwood and her husband, LeRoy of Okay, Oklahoma; his grandson, William Pearce and his wife, Kimberly of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma; his six great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. Funeral services will be 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 518 Houston Street, Muskogee, Oklahoma, with Reverend Thomas W. Corrigan II officiating. Interment will follow in Greenhill Cemetery with Full Military Honors.

Paul R. Pearce

March 3, 1920 - December 5, 2014