Alma Ruth Pierce

Alma Ruth Pierce, 100 years old, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, July 1, 2018. She passed away quietly after falling asleep at her home at Mountain View Estates in Altadena, CA. She was born on January 31, 1918 at home near Lowes Creek in Franklin County, AR to Henry Lee and Nancy Clementine (Baker) Andrews. Her parents had moved from Cecil, AR to Dyer, AR in 1923, then to Watts, OK in 1928, then to Checotah, OK in 1933 and finally to Muskogee, OK in 1940. She grew up in Checotah, attending Checotah High School. Alma had 11 siblings and 9 older half-siblings.

On Sept. 19, 1935, Alma Ruth married L.D. Pierce in Checotah, OK. They were married for 51 years before L.D. passed away in 1987. Alma and L.D. had two sons, Larry and Daniel.

One year after they married, Alma and L.D. moved to West Los Angeles, CA along with L.D.'s parents and siblings' families. They worked at various jobs going back and forth between West L.A. and Arvin, CA for several years. They regularly returned to Oklahoma to visit. In 1948, Alma received her high school diploma from University Evening High School in Los Angeles. She later took training courses in child development from University of California Extension and worked in child care for several years.

Alma loved keeping in touch and spending time with her large family, attending family reunions in Oklahoma, and researching her family history. One of her favorite things was hunting for old bottles and telephone insulators with her sister-in-law Jessie in the hills of Tehachapi, CA. She also liked going to garage sales and swap meets. She enjoyed playing cards and board games with friends at home and bingo at the senior center where she volunteered. She was loved by all who knew her and will be greatly missed.

Alma Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her husband L.D. Pierce, her daughter-in-law Jane Pierce and all of her siblings -- 11 brothers and 9 sisters. She is survived by her two sons Larry Pierce, and Daniel and wife Oksana Pierce; 4 grand-daughters: Dailyn and Joe Wright, Lara and Al Winters, Dayna Pierce and Polina Riazantseva; 4 great-grandchildren: Ashley, Ryan, Meghan and Brandon; 1 great-great-granddaughter: Ava; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other family members.