Peter "Doc" Pavlov, Jr.

On September 26, 2012, Peter Pavlov, Jr., passed peacefully from this life at his home in Ocean Springs after a brief illness. Doc, as he was known to his friends, was born on February 24, 1919 to Peter and Anna Pavlov, immigrants from Brac, Croatia. He is the last of their six children, preceded in death by his brothers, George and Frank Pavlov, and his sisters, Margaret Kuluz, Danica Garbin and Frances (Flossie) Touchet. Doc was graduated from Biloxi High in 1936. His class celebrated its 75th reunion this past summer. He was the last surviving man of this class. He attended Perkinston Junior College, where he excelled on the boxing team. He then attended Loyola University Dental School, where he was graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery. He joined the US Navy in 1942, stationed in Hawaii. He was transferred to the US Marine Corp with whom he stormed the shores of Iwo Jima. Doc Pavlov’s many accomplishments during his long life demonstrated his beliefs and his commitment to serve God and mankind. Before World War II, Doc was honored for his heroism by the 1939 Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo for rescuing a drowning man. He was a decorated Marine in WWII, serving on Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. After his honorable discharge from military service, Doc began his dental practice in the Barq Building in downtown Biloxi where he remained and prospered until his retirement in 1988. In 1947 he married the love of his life, Mary Alice Smith. This past May the devoted couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Doc founded the Point Cadet branch of the Biloxi Boxing Club and along with Fr. Joe Walsh, the Biloxi Sea Scouts. In the 1950’s and 60’s, he served the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce as Chairman of the Biloxi Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet. He served as a member and then president of the Biloxi School Board. Dr. Gilbert R. Mason, in his book “Beaches, Blood, and Ballots: A Black Doctor’s Civil Rights Struggle”, cited Dr. Pavlov as “a person of reason” during the turbulent times of desegregation. Dr. Pavlov was active in the Pro-Life movement, believing that life is a sacred gift from God. Always an active and committed Catholic, in 1950 Doc was a founding member of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He served for many years as the president of the Society’s Diocese of Biloxi Council and was an officer in the National St. Vincent de Paul Society, attending as a representative at the beatification of the Society’s founder, Frederic Ozanam, by Pope John Paul II in Paris, France. In 1998 he and a group of Vincentians founded the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy in Biloxi, where he served as president of the Board of Directors for its first four years. Doc was a Third Degree in the Knights of Columbus. During this time Doc and his wife Mary, always his steadfast support, raised their seven children. While his example as a loving husband and father, community servant, and faithful Catholic will leave an enduring legacy, those who knew him best will remember him for his kindness, his unique and often unexpected sense of humor, and his God-given gift for catching fish. Whether fishing or tonging oysters, Doc always left his troubles on the bank and treasured his time on the water. He is survived by his wife, Mary; his seven children, Peter Pavlov, Michael Pavlov, PhD, Paul Pavlov, M.D. (Theresa), Mary Ann Vogelbein (Wolfgang), Joseph Pavlov, John Pavlov, M.D. (Mary), and Francis Pavlov; thirteen grandchildren, Amber Pavlov, Aimee Pavlov, Matthew Pavlov, Anna Pavlov, Anthony Pavlov, Leigh Ann Vogelbein, Kristen Vogelbein, Mollie Pavlov Rosenbohm (Elimar), Monica Pavlov Flowers (Paul), Christina Pavlov, John Paul Pavlov, Alexander Pavlov and Jonathan Pavlov; one great-grandchild, Sophie Rosenbohm; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Doc’s family would like to thank everyone who prayed for him, visited him and gave him comfort. Special thanks and appreciation are given to Saad’s Home Healthcare, and above all to Gloria Kostmayer, Mamie Salter, and Mollie Reeves for their diligent care and exceptional kindness during Doc’s last days. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 4900 Riley Rd, Ocean Springs on Monday, October 1, at 12:30 pm. Friends may visit from 10:30 am until Mass time. Interment will follow in Biloxi National Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are directed by Bradford-O’Keefe of Ocean Springs. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial offerings to The St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, PO Box 1228, Biloxi, MS 39533.