Tina Pilch

Tina Pilch, 98. died January 17, 2015 at the Alaska Veteran and Pioneer Home in Palmer, Alaska, in the company of her husband Sam. Tina was born in Black Foot, Idaho June 2, 1916 to Charles and Hilda Simon but when she was 5 the family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she grew up. Tina joined the U.S. Navy and was in the WAVES as a radioman 3rd class in 1944 until 1946. While working for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Tina met her husband Sam Pilch. Sam said, "She was the smartest girl I'd ever met, and I thought to myself, 'If you pass this girl up, you're going to regret it.'" They were married in Chicago on June 27, 1949. They lived in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, before moving to Anchorage in 1966 with children: David, Annie, and Charlie. Besides raising a family, Tina was actively involved in the Association for Family, Community, and Education (formerly Homemakers) in the Mountain Beavers Club until she and Sam moved to the Alaska Veteran and Pioneer Home in Palmer in February 2014. Tina is preceded in death by her parents and 3 sisters, daughter Kathy and son David. She is survived by Sam (AVPH Palmer), Annie (Benecia, CA) and grandson Mike (Concord, CA), Charlie and wife Ann (Anchorage) and grandchildren Stephanie and Andy (Anchorage), sister Henriette (Chicago) and numerous relatives and friends. Per her wishes, Tina was cremated and will be buried at Ft. Richardson with military honors, with a simple outdoor ceremony February 6, 2015.