Melvin Jay Pincus

Melvin Jay Pincus passed away November 3rd, at home, at the age of 76. He was born in Dallas, TX to Jewish parents, Molly and Harold Pincus, and was a brother to Toby and Roseann. As an Air Force family they were assigned overseas including England, Japan, and Germany, which introduced Mel to his lifelong passion of exploring and learning the history of new locations.

After graduating from Ramstein High School, Mel attended the University of Texas at Arlington. He became a teacher and was hired by DoDDS to work in Regensburg, Germany where he met his future wife of 47 years, Cathy. They married in January of 1978 and moved to Spanaway WA, where Mel worked in the Bethel school district for 11 years. Mel and Cathy had five children, Maggie, Alex, Matthew, Rebecca, and Katie, and in 1989 the family moved overseas where Mel taught elementary school along with Cathy in Comiso, Sicily, then the Azores, and finally, Aviano, Italy. He retired in 2007 and moved back to Puyallup, Washington with Cathy to enjoy his books in peace, although constantly interrupted by his very noisy and beloved 17 grandchildren.

Above all else, Mel was a teacher, a man who loved learning and thinking and reading and sharing that knowledge with everyone. He was loved by his students, mostly 5th and 6th graders, who loved to be called knuckleheads by Mr. Pincus. He was known for his teasing and booming voice, his honesty, and integrity. His logical thinking made him an obvious choice to be his teacher’s union representative. He loved good food, walked unbelievably fast, and never met a ruin he didn’t want to explore. He loved his family and was the best husband and father.

Mel leaves behind his wife, children, grandchildren, in-laws, and decades-long friends, all of whom will miss him deeply, and would have all loved to be lectured one more time.

The funeral service will be held at All Saint’s Parish on November 20th, at 11am, reception to follow in the Parish Center. The service will also be live streamed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to A Place for Me, the Down Syndrome support center in Pierce County.