Francis Paul Pieri

Fran was born on March 6, 1933 in St Louis. MO. He always said the best thing his parents ever did was move to Monrovia, CA in the early 1950s. He joined San Gabriel Valley Motorcycle Club and enjoyed off road racing in the desert and on Catalina Island. He also joined the Navy Reserve and was a chief petty officer at Los Alamitos.

He had always dreamed of flying. After graduating from Mt. San Antonio College in 1959, he was accepted in the USAF Aviation Cadet program. After graduation, in 1961, he was assigned to Strategic Air Command to fly B-47 at Dyess, AFB in Abilene, Texas.

In the fall of 1961, his friend brought him to Texas Tech in Lubbock for a blind date. There he met the love of his life, Paula Crites. They planned a November,1962, wedding, but in October the Cuban Missile Crisis began. It was a short but very dangerous time in our country and the closest we ever came to nuclear war. Strategic Air Command was the first strike force and on full alert. Luckily, the Soviets backed down in November and tensions were eased. Fran and Paula were able to get married on November 17, 1962, but only because the wedding took place on base. A month later, they were on their way to Mt. Home AFB, Idaho. They spent the next three years enjoying exciting adventures, new friends and wonderful memories of a beautiful place.

In 1965, Fran decided to leave the Air Force and join American Airlines He was based in NYC for two years. On January 28, 1966, their daughter, Lisa, was born. In May 1967, Fran was able to transfer to Los Angeles and they moved to the new community of Laguna Niguel, CA. On October 11, 1967, their son, Dave, was born.

Fran was very active in the community, and with a group of other Dads, they helped form the first youth soccer in Laguna Niguel. The Dads would have to line their own fields and set up the nets for every game. Fran was active as a coach and referee for youth soccer for over 25 years. He and the family enjoyed many wonderful travels and visited some amazing places. They spent the most time in Hawaii enjoying snorkeling and the beautiful beaches and people.

Fran loved flying for American and his crew. He flew every airplane in the American fleet, and his last 10 years with American were spent flying the DC-10 from LAX to Hawaii. After a wonderful 28 year career, he retired in 1993. He stayed very busy with Military reunions for his USAF Aviation Cadet Class, Navy aviation groups, The Grey Eagles with American Airlines and was a volunteer with the California Highway Patrol. He also volunteered at the Planes of Fame in Chino, where he helped restore and fly old WW2 airplanes.

Unfortunately, in 1995, Fran and Paula lost their amazing and beautiful daughter, Lisa, to cancer. This was the most difficult and tragic time of their lives.

In 2016, after 50 years in Laguna Niguel, Fran and Paula moved to Oceanside to be nearer their son and his family. He still stayed busy with the CHP and The Old Bold Pilots.

Fran lived his life just the way he wanted. He always considered himself the luckiest man to have a family he adored, a job he loved, and to live where he wanted to. He had a great sense of humor, and you could always depend on him. He was the first one to step up and take charge, whether it was a bully on the soccer field or an unruly passenger on his flight. The only thing he loved more than flying was his family. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Fran passed away on May 30, 2022, at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Paula, his son, Dave, daughter in law, Jennifer, and grandsons, Jake and Zach. They will miss his humor and his wonderful stories every day.