William F. "Bill" Pelletier, Jr., 81, passed away Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Lifepath Hospice near Tampa, FL.

Bill was born June 30, 1940, in Rockaway, Queens, NY to William F., Sr. and Jeanne Pelletier. He grew up in Ridgewood, NJ, and attended Ridgewood High School, where he played on the school's powerhouse tennis team. After graduating high school, he attended Columbia University for two years before enlisting in the US Army in August 1961, where he was selected for training with US Special Forces.

Following completion of training and earning his green beret, Bill was assigned to the 1 ^st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based in Okinawa, Japan, as a radio operator. He served just over 15 months in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where his unit trained Montagnard locals in combat tactics and faced multiple firefights with North Vietnamese forces. During this time, he earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and two stars for combat jumps on his Army parachutist badge.

At the completion of his three-year enlistment, Bill was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of sergeant. He then embarked on a career in the steel industry, working for US Steel and A&K Railroad Company before founding the Railman Company, Inc., in 1983. Family was always the centerpiece of Bill's life and purpose. Married with three children, annual family reunions on Pensacola Beach and hosting holiday meals for extended family were just two of the ways that Bill put his family before everything else in his life. He also loved cooking, boating, reading, and traveling.

Bill spent his retirement years as a senior globetrotter, visiting more than 60 countries on five continents, often staying in youth hostels to help with expenses. As a result, his travelogue e-mails had a distribution list that spanned from Chile to China and points between.

He is survived by his son, William Francis III (Leah) and their children, Maren and Garrett; daughter, Kristin Hughes (Bill) and children, Billy, Jack, Alec, Henry and Gray; son, Brian (Kyra) and children, Aiden and Alexandra; sister, Marianne O'Malley and brothers, Michael and Stephen (Sallyan), and former wife, Kathy Belanger (Michael).

In addition to his parents, Bill is reunited in repose with his sister, Katharine and brother, Daniel.

A Memorial Mass will be held 10:00am Thursday, July 21, 2022, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Barrancas Ave. in Pensacola, celebrated by Bishop Martin Holley. Committal Service will immediately follow at Barrancas National Cemetery with military honors.

Honorary Pallbearers are Robert Murphy, Scott Campbell, Bradley Davis, Jr., Herbert Millington, Kurt Wenzing, Richard Peterson, and Dr. Lauren Nguyen.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's name to the Semper Fi and America's Fund, which helps care for U.S. combat-wounded veterans of all branches and their families.

The family wishes to send a heartfelt Thank You to the staff at Lifepath Hospice, as well as to the doctors and nurses in the Medical ICU at St. Joseph's Hospital-South in Riverview, FL, for their compassion and loving care.