Steven J. Pelehach was born and raised in Nanticoke Pennsylvania, a small coal mining town, a son of a coal miner, whose parents died at a young age. Steve promised his dad that he would not work in the mines and just after graduation in 1954, Steve entered the U.S. Air Force.  Steve lost his dad a year later to Black Lung followed not so many years by his mom who passed with a heart attack.  Steve’s sister still lives in the old home place, like most rural folks, she loves their home, family and friends and rarely move away.

Within ten years of joining the military, Steve was stationed at Otis Air Force Base in Cape Cod Mass, where he met his lovely wife, Carolyn at a USO dance. They were married and immediately started a family with three children, one right after the other. Although times were hard financially, both Steve and Carolyn enjoyed those early years with three children in diapers on an airman ‘s pay.  Once they were out of diapers, it was hand-me-downs and living on meals of popcorn, beans and hotdogs during those good years.

After moving around over a twenty year period, Steve & Carolyn ended up stationed at Patrick AFB for his last 2 years.  After retiring in 1978, Steve and Carolyn applied for positions open at Sears. Carolyn got hired and worked for Sears for the following twenty years and Steve got a part time gig with the Retail store.  While working for Sears, part time Steve heard that a prison in Sharpes were hiring and he applied. Steve’s first surprise was that you didn’t carry a gun, but after getting the hang of the job quickly understood why.  Steve started at BCI in 1978. His first uniform was his blue Air Force pants and shirt. The institution didn’t immediately give you uniforms, till they saw you were going to hang in there on the job. Steve received a uniform shortly, man was he happy, except the stripes on the pant legs were crooked and one sleeve of the shirts were shorter than the other, but he had those uniforms to wear. Steve watched people come and go and thought it was unusual that women were not there (yet) but they came along and found their way into the job over the next few years.  Steve was a mentor to not only staff, but to Inmates as well.  His maturity and good natured common sense was always a resource to supervisors and fellow staff.  Steve worked everywhere at one time or another over the next 22 years, regular dorms, confinement, warehouse, dining hall and recreation.  Even before extended day operations, Steve used pushups, and motivation exercises to teach and manage Inmates under his charge. He mixed good humor and fair mindedness to communicate effectively and always displayed the potential to do good and succeed to the inmates he came in to contact with. He knows that because of many of the senior staff and their fair treatment of inmates at Brevard that there were many young lives changed to the better.

Steve Retired in 2000 after some good times with good friends at Brevard. Steve considers himself “retired-retired” and enjoys it immensely.  Steve gardens part time to keep himself limbered up. He and Carolyn love and enjoy their seven grandkids, as well as the baseball games at the Space Coast Stadium with a beer or two.  Steve and Carolyn are charter members of our group and can be found at every gathering they are able to attend of the DC TimeWatchers.  If you wish to give Steve a shoutout, plan to join us at one of our functions or send him an email at  spelehach@aol.com