Master Sergeant
Humbert L. Pearce

Family members and friends will gather at 2:15 p.m. Thursday at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, 737 E St. A procession will leave at 2:30 p.m. for a 3 p.m. graveside service at Fort Richardson National Cemetery.

Mr. Pearce was born March 8, 1932, in Kalispell, Mont. He joined the Air Force in 1950, where he met and married Jean Rodgers. He served in Vietnam, as well as during the Korean War, and at Tripoli, Libya. He was involved in air rescue, scheduling and aircraft maintenance. He retired in 1971 and moved with his family to Anchorage, following a lifelong dream. He joined the U.S. Postal Service, where he retired as a supervisor in February 2002.

Mr. Pearce enjoyed fishing and reading Westerns and World War II novels, and military and aviation history. He was involved in model airplanes and shipbuilding. He also maintained membership in the C-7A Caribou Association and spent time supporting his family in their interests.

His family wrote: "Mr. Pearce was genuinely respected by all who knew him. He was an unassuming man, not an attention seeker, yet he managed to become a strong presence in their lives. He was extremely generous and caring, yet he rarely spoke of his good deeds, or of his experiences in rescuing people and giving them his unending support. For this, he has earned the sobriquet 'unassuming hero.' "

Mr. Pearce is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jean Rodgers Pearce; son, Michael Pearce; daughter, Cathryn Pearce; daughter-in-law, Yulia Ningsih Pearce; grandchildren, Joseph Michael Pearce and Nadia Yuliana Pearce; brother, Avon Whitehead; sisters, Priscilla Whitehead and Prudence Whitworth; and niece and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Joseph Pearce and Olga Schenheit Pearce Whitehead, and his stepfather, Burril Whitehead.

Memorials may be sent to the charity of the donor's choice.

MSGT Humbert "Bert" Pearce served 459^th in 1966.