Nita J. Peck

Nita was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to Hazel and Earl Foulkrod on August 10, 1930, and graduated from New Kensington High School in 1948. Her summers were spent at Camp Miniwanka, on Lake Michigan, near Muskegon, Michigan. She decided on a nursing career, but her father wanted her to have a college degree, so she instead attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. At Michigan she pledged Alpha Delta Pi sorority and met her husband, Jim, through a sorority sister. They dated for one year in Ann Arbor and she was advised to discontinue her nursing education at Michigan and transfer to John’s Hopkins for her junior year. During this time, Jim decided to avoid the draft by joining the Air Force flight training. They corresponded through letters from 1951-1952 and in 1953, Jim was assigned to b-29 transition in San Antonio. He was urged by his crew commander to get married, and he contacted Nita, and she took a leave of absence from nursing school. They were married in New Braunfels, Texas on April 11, 1953. The orders to Korea were then cancelled and they lived in New Braunfels for 3 months. Orders then came for Smokey Hill AFB, in Salina, Kansas and Nita became a SAC wife. In Salina, their first and only child, Pamela, was born in 1956.

They were then immediately transferred to Pease AFB in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where they started their career and family life. For the next 30 years they relocated 8 times including eventual retirement in 1979 in Lago Vista, Texas where they lived until they moved to AFV 2 in January 2004.

Nita was very active in various organizations, including the officers wives club, Protestant Women of the Chapel, and YWCA of Austin, Texas.

Nita was an avid runner for over 20 years and ran the Capital 10,000 in Austin every year. She ran a half marathon in Houston and Dallas, receiving an award from Tom Landry for finishing. She was also a dedicated swimmer from the time they were at Smoky Hill and participated in an Ester Williams show there. She continued to swim until 2018 for fitness.

She is survived by her husband of almost 70 years, Jim, her daughter Pamela Hightower, 2 grandsons, and 6 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hazel and Earl Foulkrod and her brother Earl Foulkrod.

A Graveside Service is scheduled for Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 2:00 pm, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, officiated by Chaplin Wayne Knutson. A Memorial Reception will be held Friday, April 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Blue Skies West in the Roadrunner Room. In lieu of flowers the family requests charitable donations to Air Force Village Charitable Foundation to support the work that they do.