Lt. Col. Gabriel V. Pesce, Ret.

Gabriel V. Pesce of Port Hueneme, California

Born April 21, 1924 Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York to Mary Pesce (nee Paratore) and Vincent S. Pesce; passed away July 6, 2018 in Oxnard, California.

After graduating high school on Staten Island Gabe began attending Cornell University in Ithaca N.Y. Upon joining the Navy in 1942 he transferred to the Naval Reserve Officer Training Program at Brown University in Providence R.I. As a member of the accelerated class of 1946 he earned his degree and commission in 1945. Because of his language skills he was selected for Japanese Language School at Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, Oklahoma. While there, he met his future wife of 64 years, Lois Jean Ballintine (aka Penny since she was from Pennsylvania). After leaving The JLS He was assigned to LSTs in San Diego, California and spent a large part of 1946 ferrying troops home from various ports in the Pacific. Lois went on to nursing school at Vanderbilt University, where, upon discharge from the Navy, Gabe followed her. He proposed to her and they became engaged shortly after she earned her nursing degree in 1949. On June 30, 1950 they were married in her home town of Natrona Heights, PA. Gabe and Lois returned to Ithaca, and while Gabe was earning his Masters in Engineering from Cornell, they started their family with the arrival of their first child in 1951. His early career included stints at the Tennessee Valley Authority, Republic Aviation, and Lockheed. Eventually he landed with Abex Corporation and in 1960 moved his young family to Camarillo, CA. In 1964 the entire family that now included five children, Vincent, MaryAnne, Mark, Laurie, and Barbara, moved to Wiesbaden Germany. Upon returning to California Gabe started up Santa Ynez Engineering Company in 1971 and later G.V. Pesce & Associates. He worked on numerous Civil Engineering & Land Development projects, mostly in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties. He continued his academic pursuits at UCLA becoming a PHD Candidate in Archaeology while studying Ancient Roman engineering. During his studies he did field work at archaeological excavations in Northern Syria. The last stage of his engineering career took him and Lois to Moron Air Base outside Seville Spain where he served as civilian contractor base engineer. Gabe and Lois finally retired to Port Hueneme living at Hueneme Bay Village. Lois preceded him in death in 2014. He is survived by four children, four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

After World War Two Gabe served in various New York & California Air National Guard units before transferring to the regular Air Force Reserve in 1962. As a career Air Force Reserve Officer he served several stints of active duty in California & Europe. He retired from the Air Force with the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1982. In addition to his engineering skills he was an accomplished Artist working in Oils, Pencil, Pen & Ink, and Acrylic mediums. He had a lifelong love of sailing and was active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and various Yacht Clubs in Ventura County. He and Lois loved to travel, and he was making plans to travel to the East Coast when he suffered a debilitating stroke in February.

Gabe will be interred at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park next to his wife, Lois and daughter, MaryAnne. A Viewing will be held on Monday, July 30 at 1pm at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo with a 2pm Funeral Service, interment, and reception to follow.

...Family in the care of Erin Arteaga, Funeral Director