Pearl Margery Pasic's Obituary
Pearl was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and spent her childhood on a farm in New Westminster. She was the fourth of William and Trina Burk's 6 children.
It was a nice childhood growing up with 3 older brothers, Arthur, Roy, and Bill, a younger sister, Dorothy, and little brother, John on the family farm. With so many siblings there was always someone to play with and because they lived on a farm there was no lack of things to do for a child with imagination. The family had a dog named Trixie who Pearl loved to play with, and a mama cow named Blossom. Blossom presented the family with a baby named Bud, who later had calves the children called by the names of flowers...like Pansey, Rose, and Daisy. There were also chickens and geese. Pearl once told me that she was scared of the geese because they would chase a little girl and snap. There were barn cats, all named Tommy. When she was around 9 years old she was given her own banty hen as a pet.
Her dad had built a playhouse for her and her sister and they liked to pretend they were Norwegian ladies and tried to speak Norwegian to each other, but mostly it was just a made up language she and her sister thought up. Usually they would speak to each other in "Norwegian" and then they would have to translate for each other.
Around 1930 the family moved from New Westminster to Tacoma where Pearl's father was working. She attended Jason Lee Junior High school and later Stadium High School. She was a good student who loved to read in her free time. While her brothers and sister called her Sis, her many friends nicknamed her Polly. After graduation she worked for a candy company dipping chocolates. Mmmmmm. Then she got a position working in the glove department at Peoples store in downtown Tacoma. She enjoyed both jobs but that was Pearl...she always found something to like about her situation whatever it was.
She was very proud of her US citizenship which she earned when she was eighteen years old.
In the spring of 1939 Pearl met Harvey Pasic and after a 2 year courtship they were married. Just three short months after their marriage Pearl Harbor was bombed and the country was at war. Harvey left his job at the bank and joined the Army Air Corps. During his training, he was stationed at several bases in the south. Pearl followed him from base to base and thus saw quite a bit of the country.
After the war and Harvey's commitment to the Air Corps ended, they returned to Tacoma and Pearl settled into the life of a homemaker. Over the next few years they added two children to the family, Charles & Lynn. When Lynn contracted polio in 1950 Pearl became active in the March of Dimes, helping with the fight against polio. She was on the winning side in that battle.
Pearl was a busy hostess, mother and homemaker. She enjoyed sewing, needlework, reading, cooking, travel, ballroom dancing and bridge. She could always be relied on when asked to help.
Her two granddaughters, Laura & Katie were a particular joy to her.
She volunteered at the hospital, was a Girl Scout leader, a member of the Women of Rotary, PEO and St. Lukes Church.
While her family and her friends are going to miss her, they are grateful for the privilege of having had her in their lives.
Pearl is survived by her son Charles Pasic and his wife Nancy, her daughter Lynn Randall and her husband Ray, her granddaughters Laura and Katie Randall, two sisters-in-law and several nieces and nephews.
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