Gerald Burton Victorian, Sr entered eternal life on June 5, 2024. Born on January 10, 1932 in Minneapolis, MN, he was the youngest child and second son of Swedish immigrants, Henry and Olga (Hedlund) Victorian.
Following graduation from South High School, he entered the United States Air Force (USAF). After basic training, he was assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), in Montgomery, AL. There he met his beloved wife, Nora, at a USO donut social. After a remote combat tour to Kwang Ju AB, Korea, they were married on May 9, 1953 in Tuskegee, AL. They had assignments to Great Falls AFB, MT; Craig AFB, AL; France; Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.; Andrews AFB, Md; Dyess AFB, TX; Anderson AFB, Guam; and Dover AFB, DE. Gerald also had another combat tour in Viet Nam where he was assigned to Nha Trang AB during the Tet Offensive in 1968. He retired from the USAF on June 30, 1975 at the rank of Master Sergeant. Gerald and Nora then moved to Pensacola, FL where they resided for the past 49 years. After retiring, he completed his education at Pensacola Junior College receiving an AAS in Accounting Technology on April 29, 1978.
Gerald was a Free Mason who was raised as a Master Mason on March 24, 1961. He was a past Grand Master of the Hope Lodge, F.A.A.M of the District of Columbia (1967). While stationed on Guam, Gerald became a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, now known as the Shriners International through the Scottish Rite on June 23, 1973.
Baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith, Gerald loved his God, his country and his family. He enjoyed astronomy, camping, fishing, hunting, shell collecting, snorkeling, and RVing. He would not turn any dessert, particularly if it was cherry pie, cookies, or ice cream.
Gerald was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings, Audrey Runmark, Irene Whitlow, and Henry C (Hank) Victorian; and his infant son Gerald Burton Victorian II. He was also preceded in death by his in laws, Perry and Miriam (Jernigan) Roberts; and their children and their spouses, James W (Marie) Roberts; Sue (Paul) Sargent; and Lucy (Grady) Story.
Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Nora (Roberts) Victorian; his children: Miriam Victorian (Tallahassee), Gail (Steve) Holliman (Pensacola), and Jerry (Karen) Victorian (Atlanta, GA), his grandchildren: Blake Victorian, Rebecca Holliman, Michael Holliman, Emily Holliman, and Rachel Victorian; nieces, nephews, and friends.
The family requests contributions be made to honor Gerald’s life to the Shriners Children’s Hospital of your choice.
A visitation for Gerald will be held Saturday, June 22, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel, 3351 Scenic Highway, Pensacola, FL 32503, followed by a funeral service from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
