Obituaries : John Pedi Jr.; U.S. Engineering Draftsman

John Pedi Jr., a longtime Ventura resident, has died at the age of 72.

Pedi, who died Sunday, was born Aug. 22, 1923, in Forest Park, Ill. He moved to Ventura 25 years ago from Covina.

He was an engineering draftsman in the U. S. Civil Service, retiring in 1980 from the Point Mugu Pacific Missile Test Center. He had worked for 35 years at the U.S. Naval Ordnance in Forest Park, Ill., Pasadena Undersea Warfare, the Naval Ordnance Lab in Corona and Point Mugu. After retiring, he worked as an engineer at Vetco in Ventura for five years.

Pedi also served in World War II in the U. S. Army.

He was active with Food Share of Ventura County and attended Ventura’s South Coast Fellowship, where he served as a deacon in the mid-1980s.

“He was a pioneer of Food Share,” said his wife, Jewel Pedi, the agency’s former executive director. “When it just started in a two-car garage, he was there because of the compassion he had for feeding the homeless and hungry.

“Now it serves 127,000 people every month and has a new building. Its growth is due to the dedication of people like my husband. It was something to do to really feel good about.”

Pedi was also a member of the American Legion of Barstow and the National Assn. of Retired Federal Employees.

In addition to his wife of 50 years, he is survived by two daughters, Patti Ann Van Zile of Barstow and Penny Mata of Santa Paula; a son, Michael Pedi of Ventura; a sister, Anna Haddock of Acton; 12 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. The Revs. John Huffman and Larry Reichart of South Coast Fellowship will officiate. Burial will follow in Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.

Memorial donations may be made to Food Share Inc. of Ventura County in Oxnard.