After high school, he attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the University of Rochester, New York, graduating with a B.A. degree. He attended Rochester Baptist Seminary in Rochester, New York and the Berkeley Baptist Divinity School in Berkeley, California where he received both B.D. and M.A. degrees. He served American Baptist churches in Sioux Falls, SD; Monrovia, CA; Walnut Creek, CA and the First Baptist Church of Las Vegas where he was minister for 22 years. He was also Director of Christian Education for the San Francisco Bay Cities Baptist Union. He married Lillian Sloan in 1947 while attending seminary in Berkeley. They celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on November 30, 2013. Lillian passed away on June 18, 2014 at age 91.
During his 22 years as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Las Vegas, he was a member of the Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Las Vegas Kiwanis Club. He served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, the board of the Las Ventanas retirement community and several boards for the City of Las Vegas. He was a member of the Clark County Ministerial Alliance and served as its president. He also served as president of the Nevada Baptist Convention and as vice chairman of two Las Vegas Billy Graham crusades.
The Rev. Pekrul is survived by his three children: Lorna Hudson of Eugene, Oregon; Marsha Robinson of Lynwood, Washington; and Jeffrey Pekrul of San Francisco, California; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
