Francis Marion Pearce

Dr. Francis (Frank) Marion Pearce, Jr. passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2006 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Frank was born August 28, 1924 in Ballinger, Texas to Francis Marion and Fanny Brown Pearce. Frank grew up in Ballinger, but decided to attend high school at his father’s alma mater, Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. After graduating with honors as a cadet lieutenant, he entered officer’s candidate school in the summer of 1942 at Fort Benning, Georgia. One month after his eighteenth birthday, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant, making him one of the youngest 2nd lieutenants in the army. In January 1943, he shipped out to join the 15th Infantry Regiment of General George Patton’s 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in Morocco. Leading a rifle platoon, he served in combat across North Africa to Sicily. While at a battalion aid station, he first began to consider a career in medicine. After returning to the states, he attended the University of Texas from 1945-1947 until he had completed the requirements for medical school. He attended medical school at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, graduating with an MD degree in 1951. As one of the top ten students in his class, he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, an honorary medical fraternity. While in New Orleans, he fell in love with and eventually married a beautiful nurse from Minnesota, Jeanette Moe, affectionately known as “Moe.” From 1951-1953, Dr. Pearce interned and did hematology research at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Subsequently, he served as a fellow in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota from 1954-1957. Upon completing his fellowship, Dr. Pearce joined the Capital Medical Clinic and immediately became very active within the medical community, serving as Chief of Staff at Seton Hospital in 1963 and 1964 and Chief of Medicine from 1966-1968. During his years in practice, Dr. Pearce developed a large and loyal group of patients because of his compassion, devotion, and commitment. Many of his patients were more like friends than patients. During his years in Austin, he experienced not only the great joys of family, friends, and a rewarding profession, but also the tragic loss of Moe to cancer in 1966. Through this dark time, he soldiered on with courage, trusting in the Lord. Eventually, he was able to find love again in the person of Betty McCoy Chapin. After a courtship, they married in 1968. Years later tragedy struck again when Frank’s oldest daughter, Sarah, succumbed to cancer in 1998 at the age of 44. Working long hours, Dr. Pearce continued to care for the sick of Austin until his retirement in 1995. In addition to his very active medical practice, Frank had many other passions. Primary among these was his devotion to his family. This devotion extended not only to his immediate family, but also to his nieces, Fanny and Marina, and his nephew Leon “Skeeter,” whom he helped raise after a tragic injury to his brother John. There were many fun-filled vacations, especially the annual ski trip to Winter Park, Colorado. Frank spent many happy hours on his ranch in Lytton Springs that he owned with Dr. Jack Schneider. In addition to the ranch, Frank enjoyed being on Lake Austin for boating and skiing. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable, always studying and reading about history, geography, weather, ranching, and current events. As a faithful Christian, he was a long time member of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry for several years. Later in life he picked up golf and enjoyed many hours playing the game at Austin Country Club. The family is especially grateful to Dr. Chris Reynolds for his efforts to keep Frank playing as long as he physically could. The family also wishes to thank Dr. Pellegrini for his care throughout Frank’s last years and is especially grateful for Dora Herrera’s meticulous care of Frank over the past six years. Family, friends, and patients will remember Frank for his kindness, humility, compassion, curiosity, intellect, and an impish sense of humor. He was truly a gentleman in every sense of the word. Dr. Pearce was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Marion Pearce and Fanny Brown Pearce; his brothers, Charles Wellington MD and John Young MD; his first wife, Jeannette Moe Pearce; and his daughter, Sarah Jane Copeland. He is survived by his second wife, Betty McCoy Pearce, his sons, Stephen Pearce MD and his wife, Carole, John Pearce MD and his wife, Carol, David Pearce and his wife Teresa, all of Austin, his daughter Erin Weber and her husband Sidney of New Braunsfels; his grandchildren, Sam, Jeff, and Rebecca Copeland of Victoria, Jonathan, Taylor, Lauren, Stephen, Elizabeth, Catherine and Riley Pearce of Austin, and Frances and John Onion of New Braunsfels. Honorary pallbearers are Jack Schneider MD, Grover Bynum MD, Kent Beasley, MD, Jack Whitaker MD, and Chris Reynolds MD. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, January 30, 2006 at Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 10 a.m. at Weed Corley Fish Chapel. A private family graveside burial will be held at Austin Memorial Park following the memorial service. Friends and family are invited to gather at the home of Carole and Steve Pearce, 400 Lake Cliff Trail at 2 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Helping Hand Home for Children, 3804 Avenue B, Austin, Texas 78751. Obituary and guest book on line at wcfish.com.