Lester "Les" Dallas Pitzer was born in Seattle, WA on December 1, 1943 to Dallas Henry and Olween Naomi Christenson Pitzer. His mother died of birth complications so he was raised on Denny Street in Bremerton, WA by his paternal grandparents, Dallas and Hazel Broxson Truitt Pitzer. He attended View Ridge Elementary, Dewey Intermediate (Junior High School) and graduated in June, 1962 from East Bremerton High School, where he lettered in wrestling. Les was baptized at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Bremerton, WA. His childhood church was a Baptist church on Perry Avenue in Bremerton and, upon his marriage to Mary McEachen on February 2, 1973, he became a member of Emmanuel Lutheran. He and his wife purchased his childhood home from his grandfather in 1973, then moved to Pioneer Rd. in Seabeck, WA in 1979 where he became a member of Lone Rock Chapel, 1980 to 2007. He joined NewLife Kitsap (Silverdale, WA) from 2007 to 2010. Upon his retirement, Les moved to Pasco, WA and joined Faith Assembly from 2010 to the time of his death. He served as a deacon at Lone Rock Chapel and belonged to various "life groups" over the years. His faith sustained him through his long battle with cancer. In November, 1964 he joined the US Air Force and was Honorably discharged with the rank of Sargeant in November, 1968. Les was a proud Vietnam Veteran who served in Ubon, Thailand and was stationed at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas. He served as lead mechanic on the flight line with the 61st Tactical Squad and was very proud of the fact that "his plane" was "shot up but never shot down". Les was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars who was very proud of his service to his country, both during his Air Force service and as a Civil Service worker for the Department of Defense (US Navy) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center and SubBase Bangor. After graduating but prior to military induction, he worked at Mount Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, then in Bremerton for a construction company as a sheet rock worker and cement finisher. After release from active duty, he worked at Boeing in Renton, WA as an Aircraft Mechanic. When he was laid off from Boeing, he moved to Walla Walla where he worked as a track maintenance man for Walla Walla Valley Railroad (1970-1971), then he moved back to Bremerton and worked in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a track maintenance man (1971-1972). In 1972, he began work as a torpedo mechanic at Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station and worked for Department of Defense, US Navy as Ordnance Equipment Mechanic, then as a Quality Assurance Specialist and, after 24 years, he retired from Civil Service in 1996. From 1997 to 2010 he worked at Keyport for private contractors, Marconi, Vitro, Aliant Tech and Raytheon. He began this second career as a Mark 48 Afterbody Inspector and retired from Raytheon in 2010 as a Quality Assurance Inspector. Dwight Cherry, his first boss at Keyport in 1972 and also his last boss at Raytheon in 2010 said, "He had a very good relationship with everyone at Raytheon, DCMA Inspectors and the Keyport On-Site Rep for us. Les was one of the most knowledgeable Inspectors I have ever worked with. He has been a great friend since I hired him in 1972." He was passionate about continuing to serve his country through his work on torpedoes and their systems, specializing in the Mark 48 torpedo and underwater ordnance for Trident submarines. Les, most often accompanied by his wife, Mary, traveled to Nevada, Ohio, Florida, Hawaii, Canada and Holy Loch, Scotland for his work assignments. He and his wife enjoyed an inland passage Alaskan cruise, traveled to Eau Claire, WI, Memphis, TN and Lawrence, KS to visit his son's family, Arizona and Oregon to visit his cousins, aunts and uncles, Alaska to visit his father, step-mother and step-siblings. He loved to travel the Oregon coast, especially Seaside, OR and vacationed with family in California and Florida. He was a volunteer hydroplane mechanic and lifelong hydroplane racing fan. His hobbies included traveling, golf, bicycling and coaching baseball at Ross Field in Silverdale WA where Field #1 was dedicated to him for his years of service to Silverdale Pee Wees. He played an important role in establishing Pony baseball in Silverdale and served as President of Silverdale Pee Wees where he loved grooming and prepping fields Les was always available to help in any way possible, any time he was needed. He also umpired baseball and loved coaching or watching his sons play baseball, basketball and football. He and his sons played softball on the same Bremerton City League team for two seasons. Les was preceeded in death by his paternal grandparents (Dallas and Hazel Pitzer) who raised him and his maternal grandparents ("Chris" and Maggie Christenson), his mother (Olween Christenson Pitzer who died from complications of his birth) all of Bremerton, WA, his father and step-mother (Dallas and Georgia Pitzer) of Indian, AK. He is survived by his wife of 41 years: Mary McEachen Pitzer, whom he married at Emmanuel Lutheran church in Bremerton on Feb 2, 1973. His two sons: Sean Dallas Pitzer (wife Juli Stone Pitzer and grandson Haakon Stone Pitzer (age 2) of Lawrence, KS) and son Christian "Chris" Lee Pitzer (wife Aubrey Beard Pitzer and granddaughters Kamryn Felicity Pitzer (age 4) and Karcyn Suzanne Pitzer (age 1 year) of Pasco, WA). His half-sisters, Joan Schmid of Indiana and Candace Stephenson of Pt. Orchard, WA, as well as a half-brother, Dallas Jay Pitzer of Indian, AK, aunts Margaret Broxson of Sprague Lake, WA, Violet Pitzer of Albany, OR, Margy Hereth and Tillie Cheney of Bremerton, WA and many cousins. Special thanks to the VA hospital staff in Spokane and Walla Walla for his cancer care. His oncologist Dr. Eric Gamboa of Columbia Basin Hematology and Oncology, Kadlec Medical chemotherapy nurses, the Chaplaincy hospice and Visiting Angels for in-home support. They each positively impacted his quality of life during his two year battle with pancreatic cancer and each became friends as well as care-givers. His half-sister, Joan Schmid came to Pasco to help care for him in 2012-13 and his cousin, Pat Jernberg, came to Pasco to help care for him 2013-14. He and his family would like to give special thanks and recognition for their sacrificial giving of their time and energy in caring for him. Two Memorial services will be conducted: Faith Assembly on Rd. 72, Pasco, WA on Saturday, February 22 at 1pm and Lone Rock Chapel, Echo Valley Rd. Silverdale, WA on Saturday, March 1 at a time TBD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a college fund that will be established for his grandchildren. Please mail check donations to HAPO Community Credit Union, 4902 Road 68, Pasco, WA 99301 and write "Lester Pitzer donation account" on the check memo line.