Louise Pearce

LOUISE PEARCE, 99, of North Little Rock, passed away Feb. 10, 2012. She was born in Marianna, Pa. to George and Maria Martinelli Doria. Louise was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 63 years Henry Douglas Pearce, her daughter Claudia and her brothers and sisters, August, Alfred, Karl, Rose, Lena , Todd, Mary, and George. She is survived by her son Doug Pearce, daughter Carol Kerr, both of North Little Rock; her Brother, Earl Doria (Phyllis) and family, Sister Lillian Standiford and family all of Washington, Pennsylvania; her grandchildren, Sherry Bruno and Kevin Kerr (Sue) and their children, Ian, Leila, and Gabriel Kerr, all of North Little Rock; her little dog, Jack; and many many friends. Louise had a long and grand life and never met a stranger. She moved to Detroit, Mich. at a young age where she met the love of her life, H. Douglas Pearce. It was love at first sight resulting in a marriage lasting 63 years until his death in 1994. From Detroit, the Pearces moved to Arkansas to be close to family after the death of their daughter Claudia, 18; then to Torrance, Calif., where she managed a GNC vitamin store. Louise always contributed her wonderful health to the vitamins she took. There she had several famous customers, like Loretta Swit, of "Mash" fame with whom she became friends. Despite having officially retired, Louise later went back to work part time, because she loved interacting with customers, giving out deli samples at Albertson's, where she led them to be the No. 1 deli/bakery in Southern California. Louise never went out without all of her matching jewelry and a stylish hat. She was creative and could sew or crochet anything without a pattern. She also sewed wonderful needlepoint artwork. A prolific reader, Louise's ever expanding collection of hundreds of books, ranging from westerns, romance, and adventure novels to classics like "Crime and Punishment", traveled with her on each cross country move from Michigan to Arkansas to California to Georgia, back to California then finally to Arkansas. She was an avid gardener and grew and loved her flower garden. Also a wonderful cook and baker, Louise took great pleasure in feeding anyone she could. Her baked goods, many from old family recipes, were delighted by all especially at Holidays. She always had a cookie, piece of pie or cake with a cup of hot tea for anyone that came to visit. A memorial blessing will be held at the Rest Hills Memorial Park, 7724 Landers Road, North Little Rock, Ark. on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to North Little Rock Friends of Animals, PO Box 1712, North Little Rock, Ark. 72115-1712