Eugene Peresich

Eugene A. Peresich, Jr., 95, of Ocean Springs, MS, died Friday, August 14, 2015 in Ocean Springs. Mr. Peresich was born in Biloxi, was a resident of Ocean Springs since 1991, and he was of the Catholic faith. Mr. Peresich was a 1937 graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Biloxi, attended Perkinston Junior College, and then enrolled at LSU as an Engineering Major. He began taking flying lessons while in his teens, continued this training while attending LSU, and joined the US Army’s flying cadets in 1941. He became a flight instructor at Cochran Field in Macon, GA, training pilots of England’s Royal Air Force. During WWII he served as a B-17 pilot and squadron commander in the 457th Heavy Bombardment Group stationed in Glatton, England, and flew 28 missions over France and Germany. Among other commendations, Lt. Col. Peresich was awarded the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Croix de Guerre with the Star of Valor. Mr. Peresich enjoyed building and racing full-size and model sail boats throughout his life. He spent many of his boyhood summer days sailing Biloxi Catboats along the sound and in Back Bay. Two of the most memorable were the “Kittywampus” and the “Gigolet”. He was a longtime member of Biloxi Yacht Club, serving as Commodore in 1968. Mr. Peresich was the 1969 Rhodes Bantam Class International Regatta Champion, sailing to first place finishes in all five races of the series. He operated a small foundry at his home on Lameuse Street in Biloxi, designing and manufacturing hardware fittings for sailboats. Mr. Peresich was a founding member of the Les Pierrots Mardi Gras Organization in 1946, was a 20-year member of the Biloxi Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Peresich was a charter member and Secretary of the Biloxi Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1945-1946, and served as the President of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce in 1947-1948. He is preceded in death by the love of his life and wife of 65 years, Doris May Wink Peresich; his daughter, Janice Ann Peresich; his parents, Eugene A. Peresich, Sr. and Althea R. Peresich; his granddaughter, Mary Ann Cunningham; his sisters, Mary Kathryn Nourse, Ann Marie Lund and Sister Mary Giles Peresich, RSM; and his brothers, Giles H. Peresich, Edward M. “Ned” Peresich and Gordon J. Peresich. Mr. Peresich’s survivors include his daughters, Doris Wink Peresich Cunningham of Ocean Springs, MS, Carol May Peresich of Slidell, LA, and Linda Marie (Mitch) Peresich Long of West Jordan, UT; his sons, Eugene A. (Myra) Peresich, III of Huntsville, AL, Joseph G. Peresich of Tallahassee, FL, Robert L. (Carmen) Peresich of Houston, TX, Mark L. (Madelyn) Peresich and Thomas W. (Keri) Peresich, both of Ocean Springs, MS; twelve grandchildren, Adam Peresich and Rebekah P. Hollingshead, Matthew Cunningham, Robert Peresich, Jr., Marguerite Peresich and Molly Peresich Anderson, Eric Long, Leah L. Fisilau, Allison L. Erdmann, and Eli Long, and Ryan and Justin Peresich; nine great-grandchildren; his sister, Martha McDermott Nungesser, and his brother, John P. “Pat” Peresich, of Biloxi, MS. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, PO Box 1228, Biloxi, MS 39533. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Friends may visit from 9:30 a.m. until mass time. Interment will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.