George F. "Pete" Bloss, Jr.

George F. (Pete) Bloss, Jr. of Gulfport, Mississippi, died on February 29, 2024 at the age of 97 while at Dunbar Village, Bay St. Louis.  He was born to George F Bloss and Della Bonnifield Bloss on September 25, 1926 in Ottumwa, Iowa.  He attended Ottumwa High School.  He served in the US Navy Seabees during the Battle of Okinawa in World War Two.  He thereafter enlisted in the US Air Force, serving at Burtonwood Air Base in England during the Berlin Air Lift.  

While stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in 1947 he met and married the love of his life, Adele Overstreet Bloss.  They settled in Gulfport in 1949 and were married for 72 years until her death in 2020, raising two children, George F. (Pete) Bloss III (Jane) of Gulfport and Patricia Ann Bloss Moon of Biloxi.  They are further survived by grandchildren Cindy Bloss Taylor (Barrett) of Gulfport, Gregory Brandon Illich (Sheila) of Biloxi, and Bradley Scott Illich, both of Biloxi, and great grandchildren, Lilly Grace Taylor, and Ben Taylor, both of Gulfport, nephew Maurice Goode (Mary) of Indianola, Iowa, and nieces Mary Ann Gardner (Gene) of West Des Moines, Iowa, and Phyllis (Earl) Dechant of Crawfordville, Florida.

Upon Honorable Discharge as a Staff Sergeant, Pete opened an automobile repair shop which became Big 2 Engine Rebuilders, an automotive, industrial, and marine engine rebuilding company and machine shop, producing thousands of remanufactured engines over the course of more than sixty years of operation until it closed at the end of 2022.  He had been an active member of the Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA).

He served for eight years in the 1960’s as a commissioned Deputy of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, was a Life Member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, served Gulfport Lodge 978 as an Exalted Ruler and as a King of the Gulfport Elks Carnival Krewe.

He enjoyed attending and participating in equipment auctions, deer and pheasant hunting, speckled trout fishing, and spending time with his family. 

The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff, particularly Bonnie Bates, at Dunbar Village and especially hospice “Nurse Nancy” with Gentiva Hospice for their excellent and compassionate care.

He was a member of Grace Memorial Baptist Church.  In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the church or a charity of your choice.

Funeral Services will be held at Grace Memorial Baptist Church on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 11:00 am. Friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time. Interment with U. S. Navy honors will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery.

Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15^th Street in Gulfport is honored to serve the family of George F. "Pete" Bloss, Jr.