Sean A. Pederson

COURTESY
BELLEVILLE, Ill. and CLAREMONT — Master Sgt. Sean A. Pederson, USAF Retired, 50, of Belleville, Illinois, was born April 29, 1968 in Sacramento, California and died Thursday, June 21, 2018, at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital emergency room, O’Fallon, Illinois after a brief illness.

Sean grew up in the New Hampshire city of Claremont where he graduated from Stevens High School in 1986. Following his graduation, he joined the U.S. Air Force and attended basic training at Lackland Air Force. His first assignment was at Pope Air Force where he served in the civil engineering squadron. Sean served in several domestic bases, such as McGuire Air Force (where he met his wife Sue in 1994) and Tyndal Air Force in the Red Horse Squadron. He also served two tours of duty during the Gulf War and was located at other overseas bases such as Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, Kunsan Air Force in South Korea, and had a short stint in Uganda in a humanitarian role. Throughout his career, he also served as an non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), and finally retired at Scott Air Force in 2010 as a master sergeant after more than 23 years of service.

Outside of his military career, Sean was an active member of St. Peter’s Cathedral, serving as a lector. He also was heavily involved in various activities in which his children participated. Sean was an avid golfer and member of a local golf course and participated in a Thursday league with many close friends.

Sean was a diehard Boston sports fan who relished the multiple championships such as the Red Sox (three of them), Bruins, Celtics and the Patriots (five championships — not a typo).

Sean was preceded in death by his mother, Janet M. (née Dubois) Pederson; and both maternal and paternal grandparents.

He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Susan M. “Sue” (née LaFontaine) Pederson, whom he married on August 24, 1996; two daughters, Kathleen and Olivia Pederson; his father, Donald P. Pederson;

and a brother, Christopher Pederson.

Memorials may be made to St. Peter’s Cathedral, to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, or to the Pregnancy Care Center of Belleville. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at St. Peter’s Cathedral, Belleville, Illinois, with Monsignor John Myler officiating.

Military honors followed the funeral mass.