World War II veteran, Alaska aviation leader and longtime Anchorage, Alaska, resident Barron Edward Pleasants passed peacefully on July 6, 2015, in Anchorage, at the age of 91.
Born on April 20, 1924, in Indiana, Barron learned to fly at age 17, and enlisted in the Air Force as the U.S. entered into World War II. During his Air Force career, he served in the Pacific and taught U.S. and allied pilots throughout the Western Hemisphere before he retired form his post at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage in 1967. On an Air Force assignment in Peru he met his wife, Lily, daughter of the Mayor of Lima. Pleasants married Lily Margarita Reinoso on March 18, 1955.
Lily joined him on other pilot training assignments in Cuba and Chile. The couple was later posted at Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign, Ill.; Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., where daughter, Grace, was born; and Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas, where daughter, Katherine, was born.
The family moved to Anchorage to serve at Elmendorf Air Force Base in 1962, until he retired in 1967. After retirement from the Air Force, Barron Pleasants continued to pursue his love of aviation as a flight operations executive for Alaska Airlines, Wien Air Alaska and ultimately Sabena Belgian World Airlines, where he was the Station Manager of Operations in Alaska.
Barron owned several aviation aircraft, including float, ski and aerobatic sport airplanes. He taught his daughters to fly and used his planes to bring friends to favorite hunting and fishing spots. Many Alaska pilots gained their licenses with a check-ride from Pleasants, who also served as part-time examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. Lily became a close partner in running the Sabena operations, and both Barron and Lily were well known for their multi-lingual abilities and warm welcoming personalities for thousands of passengers transiting Anchorage International Airport, then known as the "Air Crossroads of the World." In their home they hosted regular dinners for pilots, airline executives and government officials on layover; it was not unusual to see an Anchorage executive seated next to a cabinet minister or Ambassador from Europe.
Pleasants had a dry sense of humor and loved a good joke. His other skills and hobbies included his love of reading and shooting, where he won Air Force honors for marksmanship. Pleasants is survived by his wife, Lily Pleasants of Anchorage; daughter, Grace Pleasants of Girdwood, Alaska; and daughter, Katherine Pleasants of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was predeceased by his sister, Kay Pleasants, a WAC Colonel. A military honors funeral was held at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on Sept. 15, 2015. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Anchorage.
Published by Anchorage Daily News on Sep. 19, 2015.
Contributor: Linda Dallas Sharp (48107179) • [email protected]
View Memorial
Born on April 20, 1924, in Indiana, Barron learned to fly at age 17, and enlisted in the Air Force as the U.S. entered into World War II. During his Air Force career, he served in the Pacific and taught U.S. and allied pilots throughout the Western Hemisphere before he retired form his post at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage in 1967. On an Air Force assignment in Peru he met his wife, Lily, daughter of the Mayor of Lima. Pleasants married Lily Margarita Reinoso on March 18, 1955.
Lily joined him on other pilot training assignments in Cuba and Chile. The couple was later posted at Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign, Ill.; Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., where daughter, Grace, was born; and Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas, where daughter, Katherine, was born.
The family moved to Anchorage to serve at Elmendorf Air Force Base in 1962, until he retired in 1967. After retirement from the Air Force, Barron Pleasants continued to pursue his love of aviation as a flight operations executive for Alaska Airlines, Wien Air Alaska and ultimately Sabena Belgian World Airlines, where he was the Station Manager of Operations in Alaska.
Barron owned several aviation aircraft, including float, ski and aerobatic sport airplanes. He taught his daughters to fly and used his planes to bring friends to favorite hunting and fishing spots. Many Alaska pilots gained their licenses with a check-ride from Pleasants, who also served as part-time examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. Lily became a close partner in running the Sabena operations, and both Barron and Lily were well known for their multi-lingual abilities and warm welcoming personalities for thousands of passengers transiting Anchorage International Airport, then known as the "Air Crossroads of the World." In their home they hosted regular dinners for pilots, airline executives and government officials on layover; it was not unusual to see an Anchorage executive seated next to a cabinet minister or Ambassador from Europe.
Pleasants had a dry sense of humor and loved a good joke. His other skills and hobbies included his love of reading and shooting, where he won Air Force honors for marksmanship. Pleasants is survived by his wife, Lily Pleasants of Anchorage; daughter, Grace Pleasants of Girdwood, Alaska; and daughter, Katherine Pleasants of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was predeceased by his sister, Kay Pleasants, a WAC Colonel. A military honors funeral was held at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on Sept. 15, 2015. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Anchorage.
Published by Anchorage Daily News on Sep. 19, 2015.
Contributor: Linda Dallas Sharp (48107179) • [email protected]
View Memorial
World War II veteran, Alaska aviation leader and longtime Anchorage, Alaska, resident Barron Edward Pleasants passed peacefully on July 6, 2015, in Anchorage, at the age of 91.
Born on April 20, 1924, in Indiana, Barron learned to fly at age 17, and enlisted in the Air Force as the U.S. entered into World War II. During his Air Force career, he served in the Pacific and taught U.S. and allied pilots throughout the Western Hemisphere before he retired form his post at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage in 1967. On an Air Force assignment in Peru he met his wife, Lily, daughter of the Mayor of Lima. Pleasants married Lily Margarita Reinoso on March 18, 1955.
Lily joined him on other pilot training assignments in Cuba and Chile. The couple was later posted at Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign, Ill.; Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., where daughter, Grace, was born; and Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas, where daughter, Katherine, was born.
The family moved to Anchorage to serve at Elmendorf Air Force Base in 1962, until he retired in 1967. After retirement from the Air Force, Barron Pleasants continued to pursue his love of aviation as a flight operations executive for Alaska Airlines, Wien Air Alaska and ultimately Sabena Belgian World Airlines, where he was the Station Manager of Operations in Alaska.
Barron owned several aviation aircraft, including float, ski and aerobatic sport airplanes. He taught his daughters to fly and used his planes to bring friends to favorite hunting and fishing spots. Many Alaska pilots gained their licenses with a check-ride from Pleasants, who also served as part-time examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. Lily became a close partner in running the Sabena operations, and both Barron and Lily were well known for their multi-lingual abilities and warm welcoming personalities for thousands of passengers transiting Anchorage International Airport, then known as the "Air Crossroads of the World." In their home they hosted regular dinners for pilots, airline executives and government officials on layover; it was not unusual to see an Anchorage executive seated next to a cabinet minister or Ambassador from Europe.
Pleasants had a dry sense of humor and loved a good joke. His other skills and hobbies included his love of reading and shooting, where he won Air Force honors for marksmanship. Pleasants is survived by his wife, Lily Pleasants of Anchorage; daughter, Grace Pleasants of Girdwood, Alaska; and daughter, Katherine Pleasants of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was predeceased by his sister, Kay Pleasants, a WAC Colonel. A military honors funeral was held at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on Sept. 15, 2015. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Anchorage.
Published by Anchorage Daily News on Sep. 19, 2015.
Contributor: Linda Dallas Sharp (48107179) • [email protected]
View Memorial
Born on April 20, 1924, in Indiana, Barron learned to fly at age 17, and enlisted in the Air Force as the U.S. entered into World War II. During his Air Force career, he served in the Pacific and taught U.S. and allied pilots throughout the Western Hemisphere before he retired form his post at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage in 1967. On an Air Force assignment in Peru he met his wife, Lily, daughter of the Mayor of Lima. Pleasants married Lily Margarita Reinoso on March 18, 1955.
Lily joined him on other pilot training assignments in Cuba and Chile. The couple was later posted at Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign, Ill.; Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., where daughter, Grace, was born; and Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas, where daughter, Katherine, was born.
The family moved to Anchorage to serve at Elmendorf Air Force Base in 1962, until he retired in 1967. After retirement from the Air Force, Barron Pleasants continued to pursue his love of aviation as a flight operations executive for Alaska Airlines, Wien Air Alaska and ultimately Sabena Belgian World Airlines, where he was the Station Manager of Operations in Alaska.
Barron owned several aviation aircraft, including float, ski and aerobatic sport airplanes. He taught his daughters to fly and used his planes to bring friends to favorite hunting and fishing spots. Many Alaska pilots gained their licenses with a check-ride from Pleasants, who also served as part-time examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. Lily became a close partner in running the Sabena operations, and both Barron and Lily were well known for their multi-lingual abilities and warm welcoming personalities for thousands of passengers transiting Anchorage International Airport, then known as the "Air Crossroads of the World." In their home they hosted regular dinners for pilots, airline executives and government officials on layover; it was not unusual to see an Anchorage executive seated next to a cabinet minister or Ambassador from Europe.
Pleasants had a dry sense of humor and loved a good joke. His other skills and hobbies included his love of reading and shooting, where he won Air Force honors for marksmanship. Pleasants is survived by his wife, Lily Pleasants of Anchorage; daughter, Grace Pleasants of Girdwood, Alaska; and daughter, Katherine Pleasants of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was predeceased by his sister, Kay Pleasants, a WAC Colonel. A military honors funeral was held at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on Sept. 15, 2015. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Anchorage.
Published by Anchorage Daily News on Sep. 19, 2015.
Contributor: Linda Dallas Sharp (48107179) • [email protected]
View Memorial
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