Obituary of Edgar Pinel

Edgar Leigh Pinel, Jr., 91, a long-time resident of Glenville, New York, died peacefully at home on September 15, 2015. Mr. Pinel was born on September 23, 1923, in Quincy, Massachusetts, the son of Edgar L. and Margaret (Collins) Pinel. He graduated from Quincy High School in the Class of 1941, and before World War II, attended Northeastern University. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 22, 1942, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on December 11, 1943. Mr. Pinel was a navigator in the Seventh Air Force and flew forty combat missions in the Central Pacific Theater, finishing his tour of duty during the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the American Theater Service Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, and two Service Stars. He was a lead navigator for his squadron, and received a letter of commendation on February 22, 1945, from the Air Corps for the accuracy of his navigation during combat. In 2000, forty-five years later, he wrote and published a book, From Fort Devens to Fort Devens: 767 Days, about his war-time experiences. Following his military service, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated in 1947 with a S.B. degree in Business and Engineering Administration. He joined the corporate team at Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam, New York as an Industrial Engineer in 1952. By the time of his retirement in 1988, he was Director of Corporate Research, Development, and Engineering for Mohasco Industries, formed after the firm purchased several carpet, furniture, and distribution companies. He was responsible for the design and construction of Mohasco's factories, offices, showrooms, and warehouses. He was a member of the American Management Association, The Society for the Advancement of Management, and The Capital District Research Directors Club. Mr. Pinel's devoted wife, Leatrice Marie (Olney) Pinel, died on February 4, 2015, after they shared sixty-three years of marriage. Mr. Pinel's remaining family includes two sisters: Priscilla Christopher of San Rafael, California, and Carolyn Wilson of Easton, Connecticut; three children: Ellen P. Barnes of Palm Desert, California, Stephen Leigh Pinel of East Windsor, New Jersey, and James S. Pinel of West Warwick, Rhode Island, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Music was Mr. Pinel's life-long passion. He was a fine pianist, and played the clarinet in his high school band and the Qunicy Symphony Orchestra. He was a virtuoso at bridge, an avid collecctor of U.S. postage stamps, and was unusually well read for his generation. He believed strongly in the value of education, and university degrees were expected from his children and grandchildren. He cherished his family, and was generous with them to a fault. He is lovingly remembered, and because of his unflinching integrity, was profoundly respected by all who knew him. He was interred in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, New York. Services are private, and the family respectfully requests that no flowers be sent.