Frank Albert Papcun

Frank Albert Papcun, Lt. Colonel, USAF Retired, 96, of Colonial Heights passed away Monday, November 5, 2012. He is preceded in death by his parents, Jacob and Mary C. Kurijan Papcun; and his wife Dorothy Papcun. Mr. Papcun enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 16, 1940 and was stationed at then Langley Field, Virginia for training in communications and electronics. By 1941, as a staff sergeant, he was made the first sergeant of a company at Pine Camp, New York. In 1943, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and was sent to North Africa as a prelude to his participation in the invasion of Italy. After World War II, he opted to transfer to the Air Force and was assigned to the Air Force Depot at Dayton, Ohio where he was promoted to captain. From 1948 to 1950, he was a communications officer at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa. From 1950 to 1952, he held a similar post at Selfridge Air Force Base near Detroit, Michigan. After an interlude with the Air National Guard in Indianapolis, Frank returned to Selfridge where he became a major. Then it was back to Okinawa again from 1955 to 1957 as an air control and warning group operations officer. His next assignment was Stewart Air Force Base near West Point, New York and then to Fort Lee, Virginia from 1959 to 1963 where he was the communications and electronics staff officer for the Washington Air Defense Sector. During that assignment, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He had the same job in Vietnam for one year, and then ended his Air Force career at Adair Air Force Station, Corvallis, Oregon in 1965 after twenty-six years of service. He is survived by sons, Richard F. Papcun and his wife Karen D. Phares of Chesterfield, Virginia, Ronald L. Papcun and his wife Shannon Papcun, of Bonney Lake, Washington, and Gregory A. Papcun of Pevely, Missouri; daughter, Mary Ann (Liz) Papcun, of Richmond Virginia; granddaughters, Cara Mathews and her husband Warren Mathews of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Kathy Taylor and her husband Art Taylor of Oakland, California; grandsons, Joseph Papcun of St. Louis, Missouri, Lee Papcun of Cucamonga, California, Tristan Papcun, of Bonney Lake, Washington and Rick Papcun and his wife Genevieve of Midlothian, Virginia; great granddaughters, Abigail Papcun of Midlothian, Virginia and Kiara Papcun of Cucamonga, California; and great grandsons, William Mathews of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Matthew Papcun of Midlothian, Virginia. Family will receive friends Friday, November 16, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Chester Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 3050 W. Hundred Road, Chester, Virginia 23831. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at The Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 9300 Community Lane Petersburg, Virginia 23805. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Condolences may be registered to www.jtmorriss.com .