Peter Maximillian Jurich, Jr.

 Peter Maximillian Jurich Jr., known as Petesy and Little Mutt to his friends, passed peacefully Easter Sunday at the age of 72. Pete was born in the City of Biloxi to Peter "Mutt" Jurich Sr. and Marie "Mamie" Jurich. He spent the summers of his school years working with his friends at Cruso's Canning Company. He spent the nights fishing for monster gars at Kuljis Oil Dock and chasing soft shell crabs to which his mother would happily fry up no matter the hour. As a kid, he was always up for a game of "red line" or sliding down the mountains of oyster shells on potato sacks.

  After Graduating from Biloxi High in 1969, he went on to work at Ingalls Shipbuilding for forty years when he happily retired. He married Kathy Wescovich in 1972 and spent the next fifty-two years together. They first met when they were children where he told her that he would marry her someday. Later, in their teens, he would ask her out many times. Luckily for their son, she finally agreed. They had one child, Peter M Jurich III. They resided in Ocean Springs for the next fifty years. Being a father would have him spending  many a nights roughing it on Deer Island where he'd camp with Little Pete and his friends. It wasn't uncommon to find him sharing his wild ghost stories around a fire while eating Rosetti po'boys that Kathy would sneak to him at the harbor. He'd find himself as a master snorkeling guide, spending hours watching over a bunch of kids as they explored the rock piles and wrecks of Horn and Ship Island. Ask half of the middle aged men in OS,  they knew him as Coach Pete. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see him driving his old orange dodge pickup, with an entire baseball team in the back, heading to the batting cages on Biloxi beach.

  Peter was a man that you would never hear say that he was bored. He loved following the slicks chasing triple tails and running to Horn and Ship Island looking for hundred pound lemon fish to throw his back out on. In his skiff, he'd spend hours chasing Specks  from "Mikey's reef" to Baker's pier, to the rock piles on the west end of deer, and on to Kuhn Street. If he wasn't running the boat, he was at the bait shop, better know as Pat's. There you could find him and his friends sharing all the wild stories of their youth. On Thursday nights, you could find him at the Slavonian Lodge eating with his friends and cousins and listening to all the stories of the "Walking Libraries". This was the nickname he gave to the generation before him. That's where he developed one of his later life passions, Biloxi history. When one of these elders would pass, he'd often say "We lost another library today." He later became one of these libraries and his passion for Biloxi History would lead to all of his hobbies later in life. He spent endless nights pouring over pictures of the long gone homes and businesses of the Point. He'd take these pictures and recreate highly detailed replicas of the neighborhood that he loved. He built Cruso Co, Kuluz Bros Packing, Dubaz Brothers Seafood and many others. When his interest in replicas began to wane, he started painting. He'd paint his classic memories such as sliding with friends down mountains of oyster shells or the grand fishing vessels of the past decorated for the blessing of the fleet. He enjoyed displaying his work at the library where he'd passionately describe the memories behind each of his pieces.

  Peter was preceded by his father Peter "Mutt" Jurich, his mother Marie "Mamie" Jurich, and his sister, Betty Meyers. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Jurich, son, Peter Jurich III, daughter-in-law, Jennifer Jurich, grandsons, Max, Alex, and Nicholas and his sisters, Marie Gombos and Toni Briscoe, and many nieces and nephews. 

  Services will be held at St. Michael's in Biloxi on Monday, April 8th, 9:30am to 10am for family, 10am till 11am for friends, with Mass  to follow. Burial will be at Crestlawn Memorial Park in Ocean Springs following the Mass.

  In lieu of flowers, the next time you have the opportunity to have a "Vancleave Special" and a cold Barq's in a bottle, share a story that you heard about the Point from Petesy. The world can always use more "Walking Libraries".

  Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Homes is honored to serve the family of  Peter Maximillian Jurich Jr.