Charles Frederick Schwark, Sr.

SMSgt. Charles F. Schwark, Sr., USAF Ret., age 87, of Ocean Springs, died Monday, December 13, 2010. SMSgt. Schwark was born March 22, 1923, in Sealy, Texas and had been a resident of the Coast since 1949. In 1950, while stationed at Keesler AF Base in Biloxi, he met and married the love of his life, Catherine Lena Skrmetta, of Biloxi. They were married 34 years until the time of her death on September 19, 1984. He served in the US Army Air Corps, 8th Air Force, 100th Bomb Group aka "The Bloody 100th", as a B17 radio operator/waist gunner during WWII. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three air medals, Presidential Unit Citation and French Croix de Guerre with Palms. For air action over Europe, he received medals for flying all missions of the Berlin Air Lift. He also received the German Occupation Medal, Japanese Occupation Medal, National Defense Medal, five Air Force Commendation Medals, and the Korean Service Medal, among others. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Charles Schwark, Jr. and Janelle Schwark of Ocean Springs; daughter, Cathy Peters of Houston, TX; son, Peter Schwark, of Ocean Springs; daughter, Louvinia "Lucy" Sprankle of Canton, OH; ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Graveside services with full military honors will be held Monday, December 20, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. at Biloxi City Cemetery. Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home in Biloxi is in charge of arrangements.