Judith E. Pearce

Judith E. Pearce passed away on March 31, 2008, after a short battle with cancer. Born on April 26, 1941, to Cora and Oscar Thomas, Judy was the youngest of eight children. She was born and raised in Ohio, but had been a resident of Austin since 1973 when her husband was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base. Judy graduated from high school in Middletown, Ohio, and then earned an associate's degree from Graceland College in Iowa and a bachelor's degree in music education from Ohio State University. She taught music in the public schools for several years, both before and after her marriage to Clayton Pearce in 1965, and then chose to be a stay-at-home mom for her daughter, Shannon, born in 1971. Several years later, she returned to work for the Austin Independent School District, finally retiring in 2007 after 26 years of service. For the last 14 of those years she served as the AISD Acquisitions Librarian, having earned her master's degree in library and information science from the University of Texas. Judy was active in the Community of Christ church all of her life, providing music ministry and serving at various times as a Sunday school teacher, worship commissioner, and branch recorder. She was also a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma society for women educators, as well as an accomplished pianist and organist, crossword puzzle enthusiast, and advocate for literacy and school libraries. She will be remembered for her calm and reassuring presence, her meticulous attention to detail (particularly in spelling and grammar), her banana punch, and her unfailing patience and helpfulness. Judy was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and sister-in-law Curtis and Peggy Thomas, her sister Marilyn Briggs, and her brother-in-law Paul Lambert. She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Clayton Pearce, and daughter Shannon Pearce, both of Austin; her brothers, sisters, and in-laws Irene and Howard Blevins, Victor and Justine Thomas, Wanda and Kenneth Stubbart, Kathleen Lambert, and Jerry and Barbara Thomas, all of Ohio, David Pearce of Michigan, and Jo and Gary McLean of Florida; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, 2008, at the Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home at 3125 N. Lamar Blvd. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local school library or Hospice Austin. Memorial gifts of new children's books may be brought to the service; these will be collected and distributed to Austin ISD libraries in honor of Judy, who worked tirelessly for many years to help put books into the hands of Austin's children. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com