Nova L. Pack; Retired Policeman, Security Chief

Nova Lee Pack, a retired Oxnard police officer who later worked as head of security for the Raytheon Corp.’s former Ventura County plant, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Pack was born Oct. 19, 1924, in Paris, Ark. While a child, he lived in several cities in Arkansas and Illinois, said Pack’s wife, Mary, 78.

Pack, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, served in the Navy and Army.

He had lived in Ventura County for 45 years.

In the early 1950s, Pack became an Oxnard police officer, and later was a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy. He was a security specialist for the Howard Hughes Co., and in 1962 was selected head of security for Raytheon, a position he held for 12 years, until he was injured and retired with a disability, his wife said.

Pack enjoyed reading and poetry. He also studied Middle East history.

Besides his wife, Pack is survived by sons David, Nova Dean and Ronald Pack; daughters Cheri Doyle-Pack, Kimberly Garcia, Joyce Alexander and Bonnie Burris; 26 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; one great-grandchild, and six stepchildren.

He was preceded in death by a fourth son, Roger.

Services will be held today at 1 p.m. at Garcia Mortuary Chapel in Oxnard, with Pack’s son, the Rev. Nova Dean Pack, officiating. Friends are welcome to visit after 10 a.m.