The remarkable 100-year life journey of Pearl (Koerner) Hughes ended peacefully on October 8, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home in Stillwater, MN. Pearl was born on June 30, 1917 in Watertown, WI to Theodore and Elsie (Warnes) Koerner.
Pearl is survived by her children Dennis (Rebecca) Hughes of Evansville, WI and Janice (Paul) Huffman of Woodbury, MN; by her five grandchildren Melissa (Cody) Ernest of Kenosha, WI, Crystal (Jon) Alling of Madison, WI, Oliver (Suzanne) Hughes of Cedar Falls, IA, Kristin Huffman of Minneapolis, MN and Alex (Taylor) Huffman of Saint Paul, MN; and by her six great-grandchildren Zoe and Jack Ernest, Olivia and Eloise Alling, and Logan and Margaret Hughes. She is also survived by her sister Marian Carlson of Cottage Grove, WI, nine nephews, 13 nieces (including the lively and greatly adored Koerner and Carlson Girls), and three sisters-in-law, Mertie Hughes, Dot Hughes and Sarah Wheeler of Anderson, SC.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 54 years, her brother Ted Koerner of Clear Lake, WI, her sister Dorothy Will of Longmont, CO, sister-in-law Doris (Cross) Koerner, five brothers-in-law Albert Will, Donald Carlson, Raymond Hughes, William Hughes and Clyde Wheeler, and one dear niece and three nephews.
Pearl survived perilous times as an infant and went on to live a very long and happy life. She graduated from Watertown High School in 1938 and attended business college in Milwaukee, WI. Pearl worked for GB Lewis and SS Kresge in Watertown before enlisting in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in early 1943. Pearl was stationed in Paris, France as a telephone operator at the end of World War II. After returning home and being discharged, she worked for Western Union for a short while in Detroit, MI before re-enlisting in the military in 1946. While serving as a US Army teletype operator at Arlington Hall Station, VA, Pearl met the love of her life, Sgt. Cecil Hughes, a native of Belton, SC with a quick wit and Southern charm. They were married in Baltimore, MD in 1947 at which time Pearl was discharged from the Army. She transitioned to the vagabond life of an Army wife and after several years in the Washington, DC area, she accompanied Cecil around the world to his postings in Osaka, Japan, Fort Hood, TX, Fort Bragg, NC and Augsburg and Landstuhl, Germany. With their two children, Pearl was able to return home to Watertown in 1963 while Cecil served a tour of duty in Vietnam. In the early 1970’s, Pearl and Cecil retired from their military life to Anderson, SC where they put down roots and thoroughly enjoyed having a place to call “home.” For the next 30 years, Cecil caught a lot of fish and picked up bucket loads of pecans, and Pearl “let” him clean them and shell them. Never able to just sit still, Pearl worked a variety of jobs during “retirement”, including several years with McCrory’s and the Anderson School District. A few years after Cecil’s passing, Pearl relocated to Oakdale, MN to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She had been a resident of Good Samaritan Society of Stillwater since 2015. Pearl was a very tall, good-humored woman, who adapted well to every change of scenery, and who made friends easily and kept in touch with many of them for decades. She loved counted cross stitch and played bingo whenever she could, winning more than her fair share of the time. She was a life member of the American Legion Auxiliary, was very proud to have served her country in its time of need, and in her final years she was glad beyond measure for the opportunity to take an Honor Flight to visit the war memorials in Washington, DC.
Service at Wulff Funeral Home in Woodbury, MN Saturday, October 14 at 2 pm, visitation at 12:30 pm. Plans for burial through McDougald Funeral Home in Anderson, SC are being arranged for October 21. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to any benevolent organization that serves the needs of US military active duty service members or veterans and their families. Pearl’s family is eternally grateful for the compassionate care and support that Pearl received from the staff at Oak Meadows Senior Living Center and Good Samaritan Society of Stillwater.
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