Maria Teresa Pierce

October 13, 1943 - April 4, 2025

Maria Teresa Pierce (formerly Maria Teresa de las Mercedes Vergara) was born in Quito, Ecuador on October 13, 1943 to Colonel Luis Vergara and Juanita Recalde. After a beautiful childhood in Ecuador, she moved to Beverly Hills, California when she was twenty years old. There she met her future husband, Ronald Arthur Pierce from Manchester, England. They did not speak each other’s language, but quickly fell in love on the ballroom floor.

Maria Teresa was a music lover and avid Latin ballroom dancer. She was known for her warmth, kindness and contagious smile. She was always the life of the party and loved to see her friends happy. She taught children in the Capistrano School District and her work for the Migrant Education Program was featured in the Los Angeles Times (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-12-me-970-story.html ).

She is survived by her daughter (Natalie Pierce of San Francisco), her granddaughter (Rachel Maria Flynn of San Francisco), her brother (Fabian Vergara of Quito, Ecuador), her brother (Ivan Vergara of Quito, Ecuador), and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She is deeply missed by her many wonderful friends around the world.

Service and interment will be at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California at 2:00 pm on Friday, April 25, 2025, followed by a reception at the nearby St. Regis Pelican Hill Resort.

Memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pacificviewcalifornia.com for the Pierce family.