Donald J Pedal

Our Dad was an amazing man, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He grew up an only child but God blessed him during the course of his life with 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. 

He loved his family deeply. We were a very important part of his life. He loved to laugh, he loved a good joke, he loved the simple things in life and life itself. 

Through our Dad’s life, God directed his path. He showed him truth when he was confused about his beliefs. God showed him what having faith was really about. It wasn’t about what church he attended or rituals he performed or any good works he did.  God gently showed him through an example of a person very close to him what He could do in our lives and what a changed life looked like.

The day our brother David dedicated his life to Jesus Christ changed Dad and that was the start of our family turning to Jesus and knowing what faith in Him really meant. Our Dad was an example for us of what a life should look like when you have that deep, abiding relationship with Christ.

After moving from California to Gig Harbor, Washington in 1988, he became the proud owner of Lighthouse Marine along side his son-in-law,  Mike Averill. They continued to grow their business for seven years before Dad decided to retire. 

His faith was the center of his life. It dictated his actions and words.  He had concern for all those

 who did not know Jesus. His love for the lost was genuine and deep.

He dedicated his later years to writing essays. Putting into words the very essence of his beliefs. His desire was that lives would change as a result of reading them. God blessed him with insight, passion and the words. His purpose and desire was that all those who did not have that special relationship with Jesus would come to know Him in the special, intimate way as he did. His legacy will live through generations. His writings will not return void. Jesus Christ was his purpose, his life, his everything. He truly was a Fisher of Men!

Every day he had his quiet time with God.  He prayed for the lost that they would know the Jesus he loved, know His forgiveness, feel His unconditional love and have the peace the Savior promised.

We have great peace knowing that our Dad is where he strived to be most of his life, and that is standing in the presence of Almighty God. 

In the end, God was there to welcome him home with arms wide open and saying “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

The family will be having a private memorial for immediate family only.

For anyone who would like to honor our Dad’s memory, you can donate to Hospice in his name.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Donald J Pedal, please visit our floral store.