TRAVERSE CITY — Richard Morley Pelkey was born Sept. 25, 1928, in Saginaw, to Henri (Harry) Antoine Peltier (Pelkey) and Adeline Simkins (Pelkey), into a family with one older sister and three older brothers who have preceded him in death.He grew up with longtime treasured friends of diverse backgrounds, himself coming from French Canadian fur trappers, lumbering ancestry and early manufacturing, preparing him for the astonishing accomplishments he ultimately achieved.When he matured, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, excelling in radar development for the "Defense Early Warning" system (DEWLINE), and was involved in creating the first computer systems in conjunction with MIT, which took up two square blocks with the initial capacity of 1K (imagine).While serving in the Air Force in Boston, he met Mary "Mabel" Mathieson McWilliam at a dance. They were married six weeks later on Aug. 23, 1952. In addition to raising four children, Richard managed to create machinery to manufacture oil filters as we still know them today; develop methods for Lawrence Livermore Laboratories to simulate the pouring of metals in space; and mentored/taught many of the dedicated and talented people who followed him from Saginaw to Traverse City with Helfrecht Machine Company in 1981.Dick and Mabel enjoyed their life together till Feb. 7, 1996, when Mabel passed away. Dick was fortunate enough to find love again, when he met and married Dorothy Yvonne Atkinson on Oct. 10, 1998, welcoming her four adult sons, their spouses and respective children. They loved and supported each other until heartache on Nov. 13, 2002, when she too passed away. This wonderful man became a newlywed again on Oct. 25, 2008 when he married Barbara Mosher, both at the age of 80. Dick gained six more adult children, their spouses and numerous children. They've shared each other's love, caring and compassion till Richard's passing on May 28, 2011; Barbara survives.Dick's legacy lives on through his surviving children: daughter, Lois Boyd, of Waterford; son, Guy Pelkey, and his wife, Ann Reinke, of Beulah, their son, David Reinke and his wife, Michelle (Noonan) Reinke, and their children Elizabeth and David Jr.; son, Scott Pelkey, and his wife, Peggy (Jerry) Pelkey, of Saginaw, their son, Adam (Jerry) Pelkey, and his wife, Stephanie, and their children Jade, Sage, Alexandria and Ella; granddaughter, Sarah Pelkey and her daughter, Ava, all of Saginaw; daughter, Kyle (Pelkey) Schlereth and her husband, Mark Schlereth, of Traverse City. The entire family and his many friends grieve his loss, celebrate his life, and will miss his contagious, hearty laughter.The Pelkey family will receive friends Friday, June 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.Please join us for services at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Barnum Cemetery near Mayfield, with full military honors under the auspices of the V.F.W. Cherryland Post #2780.Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to The American Heart Association or The Traverse City Senior Center. Envelopes may be obtained at the funeral home.Kindly share your memories with the family on their online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.Arrangements were made with Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home of Traverse City.