George Vade Pierce

George Vade Pierce of Show Low, Arizona passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Show Low, Arizona. George was 91 years old. He was born on June 17, 1921 in Maquoketa, Iowa to Wallace Vade and Bess (Manning), the oldest son raised on the family farm. Later, the family moved to Dixon, Illinois where he graduated from Dixon High School in 1940. He proudly joined the U. S. Army Air Corps (which later became the U.S. Air Force) in 1942 and served four years during WWII. Through childhood friends, he met and married Mary Alice (Myers) and they had 7 children: Donald (Gayle), Peggy, Sureleigh (Leigh Silliphant), Carl, Nancy (Charles Berstler), Bobbie (Kathy), Laurie (Cliff Pryor). George and Mary moved their family to Tucson where he became a proud member of the Carpenters Union Local #857. He was instrumental in helping build many P.A.T. homes in the East Tucson area (1955-1975), he also worked on various projects at the U of A, airport, power plants, bowling allies, Veterans hospital, malls, and he was thrilled to have helped build and rebuild movie sets at Old Tucson where he had the honor to meet and have lunch with John Wayne! He was an avid deer hunter and led many expeditions with his sons, sons-in-law and family friends in the Chiricahua Mountains. After retirement, he and Mary decided to travel and ended up loving the White Mountains and called it their new home. They chose a lovely home that backed Fools Hollow Lake. He enjoyed walking to the lake daily with Mary and their dogs, fishing and collecting his beloved rocks to add to his vast collection. He proudly taught many of his grandchildren, great-grandchildren as well as a very special grand-niece how to fish. At one point, officials were going to let Fools Hollow Lake go dry, he and Mary lead the fight with local and state officials and won the battle to keep Fools Hollow Lake full and develop it into one of the premier campgrounds in the White Mountains! He was a wonderful and devoted husband. George and Mary enjoyed 69 very special years, and in the last two, as residents at Sierra Blanca, they were side by side holding hands wherever they went. He is survived by 14 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, very special nieces and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents,siblings: Pauline Shear (Harold), Lucille Wells (Warren), Paul (Mary) Pierce; 2 children: Carl Wayne and Peggy Ann. The funeral service will begin 10:00 A.M., Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at Owens Livingston Mortuary - White Mountain Chapel, 320 N. 9th Street in Show Low, Arizona where the visitation will begin 1 hour prior. The concluding service and interment will be 1:00 P.M., Friday, April 12, 2013 at South Lawn Memorial Park, 5401 S. Park Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. George's family is thankful for all the expressions of sympathy they have received and are especially grateful for all of the prayers offered up on their behalf.