Clara Haynes Pearce

Clara Haynes Pearce, age 83, longtime resident of Springville, Alabama, passed away at home after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease on February 2, 2018. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama on June 13, 1934. She is survived by her son Earl (Glenda) Pearce Jr. of Springville; daughters Leah (Rob) Friar of Hoover and Rachel (Gene) Maddox of Springville; 9 grandchildren, Alice, Lindsey, Rebecca, Pam, Robby, Lauren, Hannah, Angel and Kim; 9 great grandchildren to whom she was known as “Clara" or “Megois”. She is predeceased by her beloved spouse Earl Hewitt Pearce; her parents Arvel Haynes and Olive Hallmark Haynes, daughter Mary Beth Pearce and sister Vivian Haynes Marsh.

She graduated from Hewitt Trussville High School in 1952. She was the school representative to Girls State in 1951. After graduation, she attended Howard College for one year and was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

She married the love of her life, Earl Pearce, on November 14, 1953. She was a US Navy wife for 19 years moving constantly and raising her three children alone when Earl was deployed abroad. She loved the Navy life but also loved that in 1972, she was able to return home to St. Clair Springs to manage the family farm with Earl and her mother Olive.

She was a member of Springville United Methodist Church. She especially enjoyed being involved in the Sun Rays. She was a breast cancer survivor who fought and defeated the disease twice in her lifetime.

She was an avid reader especially enjoying American historical, current events and political non-fiction. She had her own non-fiction stories to share as well. The best story being her adventure of being the only woman on a Portuguese freighter crossing the Atlantic in 1963 to meet Earl in Europe and encountering a hurricane along the way. We will end here following her wise advice of “Don’t tell everything you know.”

The family would like to thank her loving caregivers Gwen, Mitzi and the amazing team from Alacare Hospice. Thank you for the caring support that enabled the family to keep Clara in her home until she passed.

Visitation will be Monday, February 5, 2018 from 10 to 11 AM at Ridout’s Trussville Chapel with the funeral service beginning at 11 AM. Interment will follow at Jefferson Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to assist in finding cure for the insidious disease.