Willie Carroll Pearson

Willie Carroll Pearson, age 84, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, in New Albany, Indiana. Born on May 9, 1941, in Franklin, Kentucky, to Mable Ashby (née Kinman) and Willie Ben Pearson, he graduated from New Albany High School in 1960. That same year he married his childhood sweetheart, Pearl Marie Onstott, and in January 1961 he enlisted in the United States Air Force as a radar technician.

Willie’s military career spanned 22 years. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, he served in Hawaii and the Philippines from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, completing multiple tours in Vietnam during the early, middle, and final phases of the conflict. He later returned stateside with Pearl and their four children, living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, before finishing his service in Iceland. He retired in 1983 as a Technical Sergeant (E-6).

In New Albany, Willie began a 32-year career with SR Wood. A practical man with a no-nonsense demeanor, he was known for his quiet intensity and dry wisdom, often shared while lighting a filterless Pall Mall with his Zippo lighter. He enjoyed watching war documentaries and comedy sitcoms, listening to bluegrass, classic country, and 1960s surfer rock, and spending time in his workshop where he created wooden pieces that still grace the homes of family and friends. An early adopter of technology, he embraced everything from Intellivision games to home computers with genuine enthusiasm.

Willie was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Pearl Marie Pearson (née Onstott), his mother Mable Ashby, and his father Willie Ben Pearson. He is survived by his children Cathy Charbonneau (Pete) of Las Vegas, Nevada; Carol Maples (Tony) of Corydon, Indiana; Cynthia Bashaw (Jeff) of Louisville, Kentucky; and Ben Pearson (Carrie) of Greenville, Indiana; seven grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; his sisters Donna Smith (Ronald) of Clifford, Indiana, and Sue Carpenter (Carl) of Floyds Knobs, Indiana; and many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. He will be remembered for his quiet strength, deep devotion to family, and the stories and hard-earned wisdom he shared so freely.