Laurance S. Pile, Jr. was born August 29th, of 1932 to Laurance S. and Anna Mable Pile in Maize, Kansas. He joined the Navy in 1951, serving in the Korean War as an aircraft mechanic with VF 114 (Bitter Birds) on the U.S.S. Kearsarge. After the cease fire he served with Carrier Air Group 14 on the U.S.S. Randolph. He picked up his nickname - Ernie – during his first cruise on the Kearsarge. After his honorable discharge in 1955, he continued to work as an aircraft mechanic at various Wichita plane makers, the Civil Air Patrol in Georgia and North Carolina, and ended his career with 27 years as a lead mechanic for LearJet Customer Service before retiring. He married Ruby Louise in 1952, and they had 3 sons – Christopher, Kevin, and Jeffrey. He leaves behind 7 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren to cherish his memory.
Ernie is survived by his sons Christopher M. Pile, Kevin R. Pile (Donna), and Jeffrey S. Pile (Dawn); grandchildren Elisha Pile (Melanie), Allison Voges, Aaron Pile (Lanie), Isaac Pile, Griffin Case, Jeremy Pile, and Journee Pile; and great grandchildren Isaac, Nathanael, Madeline, Emmett, Ellory, Ruby, June, Maisie, Truett, and Hunter.
Ernie was preceded in death by his father Laurance S. Pile and his mother Mable Anna Price Cudney.
Services for Ernie will be held at Lakeview Funeral Home and Cemetery at 10AM on Thursday, January 18th.
