Cover photo for Alfred Pearce's Obituary
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1927 Alfred 2016

Alfred Pearce

September 12, 1927 — July 19, 2016

Alfred Richard Pearce, 88, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, passed away on Tuesday morning, July 19th, 2016 at 7:30 am.  Alfred “Dick” Pearce was born in Shenango, Pennsylvania, on September 12th, 1927.  He was the son of Alfred Samuel and Myrtle (Crum) Pearce.  He is survived by his brothers George and Howard Pearce, and his sister Mildred.
Dick and his beloved wife Marilyn (Lewis, of Palmyra, Ohio), were married for 67 years.  Dick is survived by Marilyn, along with their four children Dana, Denise, Mary, and Brad.  There will be a private family viewing, as Dick has chosen to be cremated.  Denise and her husband, Steve, will scatter some of Dick’s ashes in the Atlantic Ocean, near Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, as that is where Dick began his career in radio engineering.  The remainder of his ashes will rest in Vista Verde Memorial Park in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where Marilyn will later join him in peace.  
Dick met Marilyn, his wife of 67 years, at a roller skating rink in Newton Falls, Ohio where, as Marilyn put it, he was “exceptional” on skates.  Though it was just a casual meeting at that time, they would later marry on January 1st, 1949 at the Palmyra United Methodist Church.  He was a good man who held morals and truth to a high standard.  He was a quiet man inside and didn’t tell much about his work, or his feelings and kept his thoughts to himself.  He did always convey that his wife, Marilyn, came first above everything else.  Although, early in his life, he attended the Methodist Church, organized religion was not Dick’s way to God and he always said “it doesn’t matter how you get there, all roads to God end up in the same place”.  
Dick served his country during WW II and post war starting as a Merchant Marine, at 16 years old;  in the Navy in WWII, as an engine room technician; then, as a Marine, as a radio technician, after the war.  Dick worked hard after leaving the military to create a carrier and provide for his family.  Being self-reliant, Dick managed to go to school at the University Of Mount Union, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Physics, while working the grave yard shift, and raising a family. All of this paid off when he was hired by Hughes Aircraft Company.   Dick’s career spanned 32 years where he contributed in the design of the famed air-to-air missiles that Hughes created. His later years would find him working on the “Star Wars” project that would later prove to be very successful.  
A sense of humor is a trait that was instilled in the family through Dick.  He would always tell jokes to the children and make them laugh and giggle.  This trait has carried over into all of us, including his three grand-children, Jennifer, Shawn, and Desiree; and seven great-grandchildren, Wyatt, Colton, Travis, Helio, Orion, Drake, and Coen.  
During the final few years of his life, when in a restaurant, it became his habit to recite this saying before we all got up from the table:   “Okay little Bo Peep, let’s get the flock outa here!”  We would like to say, after suffering from Alzheimer’s for 16 years, that he finally did just that.
To view information or leave a condolence please visit www.danielsfuneral.com  
Daniels Family Funeral Services
4310 Sara Road SE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
505-892-9920
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alfred Pearce, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Graveside Service

Friday, July 29, 2016

Starts at 1:00 pm (Mountain time)

Vista Verde Memorial Park

4310 Sara Rd, Rio Rancho, NM 87124

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