Richard Joseph Pearl

Richard Joseph “Rich” Pearl, 55, of Brentwood, CA, passed away in John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center at 4:35 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a courageous 4-year battle with cancer, which he previously beat twice, Rich left us peacefully, surrounded by family and loved ones. He did not stop fighting until everyone who wanted to see him got the chance – another testament to the kind of friend and person he was.

Rich was born on April 21, 1969, in San Jose to William “Bill” Francis Pearl and Cynthia Marie (Smith) Pearl. Rich grew up in Los Gatos with his brother John and his sister Kathleen in the same house their mother still lives in. Throughout his childhood, Rich enjoyed eating pizza on Friday nights, going on camping trips with his family, and visiting his father Bill’s home state of Michigan. He was Catholic, and grew up attending mass with his family at St. Lucy’s Parish in Campbell. Rich attended primary school at St. Lucy’s, and high school at Woodside Priory in Portola Valley. He played sports and made lifelong friends at both, and in high school, he was a player on the varsity baseball and basketball teams, as well as the senior class president.

After graduating from Woodside Priory in 1987, Rich attended college at the University of San Diego. He studied business and communications, and was part of USD’s Sigma Chi fraternity chapter. He made more lifelong friends, went on trips to Mexico, and relished in the beauty of living by the beach. Until becoming a husband and father, Rich described these years as some of the fondest of his life. He stayed in touch with these friends, and remained an avid supporter of all USD athletic teams as their number one fan. Rich graduated from USD in 1991 with a BA degree in communications.

After college, Rich moved back to the Bay Area and began his career in technology sales. He started at Pitney Bowes, and worked at several other prominent companies, including a successful tenure at Arbor Networks (now Netscout), and his last job selling cybersecurity at Cisco. He won an award for Excellence in Sales at Arbor in both 2009 and 2012, and was known by everyone he worked with for his kindness, patience, and sense of humor. He spent much of his twenties with his friends, living with his brother, John, and traveling through Europe and to the Pearls’ homeland of Ireland with his family.

The tech industry also introduced him to his beautiful wife, Denise Marie Jones. When they met, Denise was at Computer Networks and Rich at Digital Pathways. She worked with him to resell his product, and the time they spent together formed the foundation for a successful partnership. Rich and Denise married on May 5, 2001, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Yountville, CA. They honeymooned in Maui, and nearly two years later, on July 10, 2003, had their first child, Ryan Michael Pearl. On July 20, 2009, Rich and Denise had their second child, Kelly Marie Pearl.

Surviving Rich are his wife, Denise; his children, Ryan and Kelly; his siblings, John and Kathleen; and his mother, Cynthia. He was preceded in death by his father Bill on February 15, 2015.

Among many things, Rich was known for being a loving husband to Denise and father to Ryan and Kelly, and a dear friend to all. He enjoyed watching and playing sports with Ryan, going to SF Giants and 49ers games, and spending time outside and in nature. He especially loved taking Kelly for long walks on the weekends. Now, he is likely playing golf and drinking Guinness with his beloved father, Bill, and Uncle Jack.

Memorial contributions in memory of Rich may be made to his page for St. Jude: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=8470551&fr_id=154020&pg=personal©_link_share.

Friends will be received by Rich’s family at a mass to be held in his honor at Saint Ignatius Church in San Francisco from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Friday, September 6, 2024.

After the mass, a private celebration of life for his family and friends will be held at the Giants’ Oracle Park. We request that everyone come dressed for the celebration in their favorite jerseys or sports attire – just as Rich would have wanted.