Mark Joseph Pitalo

Mr. Mark Joseph Pitalo, age 91, of Ocean Springs, died Thursday, April 12, 2018 in Ocean Springs. Mark was a native and a former longtime resident of Biloxi. He was a veteran WWII and the Korean War in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1945 until 1950. He became a resident of Ocean Springs in December 1971 and lived there for the remainder of his life. He was employed full-time and also retired from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. He worked part-time for Gulf Sales and Supply in Pascagoula. He was a dedicated member of the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs. Mr. Pitalo is preceded in death by his wife, Inez Martinez Pitalo; his parents, Alexsandro and Catherine Pitalo; brothers, Stephen Pitalo, D.D.S., Peter Pitalo, and John Pitalo; great-grandson, Shane Hawkins, Jr.; and great-great-granddaughters, Kimberly and Angelique Wilson. Survivors include his son, Phillip (Karen) Pitalo of Allen, TX; daughter, Judith Pitalo Peebles of Ocean Springs, MS; brother, Alex "Lou" (Julie) Pitalo of Ocean Springs, MS; granddaughters, Alison Saucier, Angela (Shane) Hawkins of Biloxi, MS, Carissa and Caitlin Pitalo of Allen, TX; five great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 18, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., with a 12:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial, all at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. Interment will be held at Biloxi National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m., with a reception to follow at the Croatian Benevolent Society. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations be made in his name to either the Disability Connection in Ocean Springs (Deborah Pitalo Snyder) or to St. Vincent de Paul in Biloxi. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.