William Earl Pierce

William Earl Pierce was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on December 14, 1920 to Clinton H. Pierce Sr., and Hattie “Zola” M. Marshall. He arrived at 5:30 p.m., so he was just in time for supper. He was named after his grandfather. The family lived in Minnesota until 1924, when Clinton decided to move to Washington State. They made the trip in the middle of winter in a Studebaker touring car with side curtains. It must have been very cold in the car, but everyone made it just fine. The years 1924 to 1930 were not good years for the family. They lived in the Puyallup area, mostly in berry shacks, picking berries to make a living. They moved around a lot, following the work. When the depression hit in 1929, things got even harder. Clinton found ways to make enough money to get by, and even managed to get a piece of property and a small home for his family. William joined the Army in October of 1942. He fought against the Japanese at Luzon in the Philippine Islands, serving his country honorably. He was discharged just in time for Christmas 1945. All four of the Pierce boys served their country honorably during World War Two, one was killed. On July 10, 1947 he married Mary Jane Nutter, and they had three sons; Michael William, Frederick Steven and Mark Edward. Their marriage ended in 1954. William had some tough times with relationships over the years, but in 1978 he married Mary Helen Pierce. They had a good relationship, enjoying their life together. He fought Prostate cancer for many years, eventually, after 37 radiation treatments, became cancer free. In May of 1997, he lost his wife of nearly 20 years to a massive stroke. He never got over losing her. Over the years, he was involved in car racing and owned his own car for many years. He sold the car in 2001. William passed away at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington on January 26, 2012, at the age of 91. He will be missed by all who knew him. There will be a viewing time at the Sumner chapel of Powers Funeral Home (15124 Main St., Sumner, WA 98390) on Monday February 6, 2012 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A military committal service will take place at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent on Tuesday the 7th at 1 p.m.