Michael Perzel Jr. passed away peacefully on Aug. 5, 2021 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He was born in Lansford, Pennsylvania on March 7, 1931, the son of Michael and Elizabeth Perzel, and had six sisters who also preceded him in death.
After graduating high school in Lansford, he joined the U.S. Navy and while serving in Tennessee, he met and married Jo Craft Perzel with whom he spent 54 loving years until her passing in 2005. Together they raised and are survived by four daughters: Jo Ellen Perzel of Birchwood, Wisconsin; Michelle Joy Ferguson of Port Ludlow, Washington; Mary Elizabeth Sanchez of Wernersville, Pennsylvania; Amy Bonita Walter of Puyallup, Washington; and two sons: Michael Perzel III of Sparta, Wisconsin; and Andrew Craft Perzel of St. Helens, Oregon. Among his children, he is also survived by nine grandchildren.
Following his Navy service, he worked as an engineering technician for General Electric (GE) and the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), finally retiring from GE in 1993. During his career he was involved in many exciting projects including but certainly not limited to installation of the first computer room in Tacoma in 1958, various satellite communication systems with NASA, and design and training sailors on the first radio room installed on Trident-class submarines.
He enjoyed riding motorcycles of which he owned several over the years. Most recently, at the age of 90 years, he suggested to his dear friend Tiffany that he wanted to trade in his car for a motorcycle and make the “four corners tour.”
He settled in the Port Hadlock area where he lived for the last 13 years and was a faithful member of the Community United Methodist Church. He continued to work assisting with managing a rental property in Port Townsend, Washington. He was well known about town for his friendly demeanor and willingness to eagerly entertain everyone he met with a song or poetry recitation, frequently offering his entertaining skills at the Valley Tavern in Port Hadlock.
A celebration of life will be announced and held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to the University of Washington, Neurological Surgery Discretionary Fund at https://give.uwmedicine.org/michael-perzel.
