Ann Pekerak's Obituary
Ann passed away on August 29, 2018 at the age of 83. She was born on September 21, 1934 in Kimball, South Dakota to Howard and Josephine Pulse. She grew up in her hometown of Kimball with her three sisters and two brothers: June, Duane, Carol, Terry and Max. At the age of 11 she started working at a movie theater where she was an usher and ticket seller. When she turned 13 she started working at a café as a waitress, which is where she met the love of her life, Steve Pekarek, Jr. Steve was drafted into the army and she waited two years for his return. Ann married her sweetheart, Steve, on May 27, 1953. Shortly after they were married they moved to San Francisco, California, where they had their first three children – Vicki, Julie and Steven. Although she loved working as a waitress, Ann found greater joy in being a stay-at-home mom. After a few years in San Francisco, Ann and Steve found themselves missing their family and their home state of South Dakota. They decided to move back to Sioux Falls where they had three more children – David, Dean and Lisa. Ann chose to continue staying home with her children and loved being closer to all her family. She and Steve enjoyed frequent family get-togethers with her parents and her sisters and brothers.In 1968 they moved back to California and settled in Daly City. For the next 20 years Ann worked as a waitress, a job she thoroughly enjoyed until she retired due to health problems at the age of 62. After her retirement she enjoyed spending time with her kids and grandchildren. Her greatest joy in life was being a mother to her six kids and later becoming a grandmother to her grandchildren. She loved animals, especially her German Shepherds and her African grey parrot, Alfie. She had a green thumb and always had plants in her home. Living in San Francisco, she also loved watching San Francisco Giants baseball.Ann struggled with a variety of health issues, but always had a strong desire to overcome them. Over the course of her life, she battled against cancer five times, which resulted in numerous hospital stays. Despite these challenges, Ann always managed to stay strong and be there for her family. Ann’s resilience in response to these obstacles brought hope to and inspired everyone she met. Her fighting spirit will live on in each and every one of us. Ann is preceded in death by her husband, parents, sister Carol, brother Duane, daughter Julie and grandchild Brandon. She is survived by her sisters, June and Max, her brother Terry, her five children, Vicki, Steven, daughter-in-law Debbie, David, Dean, daughter-in-law Marissa, Lisa, and son-in-law Rob.She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jonathan, Kelly, Jenna, Rebecca, Dean, Melissa, Sydney, Nicholas and Edwin. She also leaves behind two great grandchildren Nathan and Bella. Additionally she leaves behind her dog Jami, her two cats, Sugar and Jimmy and her bird Alfie.
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