James Pettit

Memorial services for JAMES T. PETTIT, 85, will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the Colyer Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Curtis Hill officiating. Burial with Military Honors will follow in the Valley View Cemetery. Jim died on June 4, 2011 at his assisted living home in California. Local arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home. Jim was born on June 28, 1925 in New York City, New York the son of James and Nora (O’Malley) Pettit. His parents were Irish immigrants. Jim and his brother, Joe, were raised in Manhattan and they both served during WWII in the Naval Air Wing. Jim was ranked Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class United States Navy, received the Distinguished Flying Cross and an honorable discharge in June of 1946. He graduated from an aviation high school in NYC and moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming as a mechanic for United Airlines and worked with the Wyoming Air National Guard. Jim married Juanita Moine, of Torrington, on April 12, 1947 in Cheyenne. In 1948 the couple moved to southern California living in Redondo Beach, Pacoima, and Simi Valley where they raised their two children. Jim earned a Bachelor of Law degree from La Salle University. He was a flight engineer for American Airlines based in Los Angeles for 38 years. After retirement, he and Juanita lived in Green Valley, Arizona for 16 years. They enjoyed traveling and Jim was active in his WWII squadron reunions. In 2005 they returned to Laguna Woods, California to reside in assisted living. He is survived by his wife, Juanita Moine Pettit of Laguna Woods, California; one son, James Hawkins Pettit and his wife Luminita of Lake Forest, California; one daughter, Cheri Lyn Bellamy and her husband, Bill, of Greenwood Village, Colorado; two grandsons, John Bellamy and Michael (Lindsey) Bellamy; three granddaughters. Sara Pettit, Jenna Pettit, and Elizabeth (Jared) Bellamy Grill; a brother Joseph V. Pettit of Croton - Hudson, New York; three nephews, Dennis, Joseph, Michael and their families and two nieces, Karen and Rita and their families. Jim was preceded in death by his parents.

James Pettit

June 28, 1925 - June 4, 2011