THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130471
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: OLD BRIDGE, N.J. LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
William P. Pierce Sr., 82, formerly of the 3800 block of Pecan St., Portsmouth, Va., died March 11, 1996, at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge, N.J., after a short illness.
He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and married in 1940 to the late Rose ``Patsy'' McHugh of Ireland. He moved to Suffolk in 1952 with Kraft/General Foods to set up peanut retail and retired April 1, 1976. He then worked for the U.S. Postal Service, driver division until retiring in 1994.
He was a member of the N.Y. American Legion Post 1427 after serving in Howitzer Co. 14th Infantry as well as the 9th Armored Division as sergeant/tank commander during World War II. He received several medals including two purple hearts.
In New Jersey he was a member of the Old Bridge Senior Citizens, a communicant of St. Thomas the Apostle RC Church as well as a member of the St. Thomas Senior Citizens in Old Bridge. In Virginia he was a 3rd degree knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 7363 in Suffolk for the past 15 years. He was a former ELK of the Suffolk Benevolent Protective Order. He was a charter member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Virginia Beach. He was a Bridge Life Master and an avid golfer. He was also a Eucharistic minister, Lector, and communicant of the Church of St. Therese in Portsmouth.
Survivors include two sons, Patrick W. Pierce of Santa Cruz, Calif., and William ``Billy'' P. Pierce Jr. of Portsmouth; two daughters, Carolyn R. Pierce Buckelew and husband, Paul of Old Bridge, and granddaughter Heather of Richmond, and Mary Ann Chaney and husband, Ted, of Whaleysville, grandson Ted Jr., as well as grandchildren Michele Ann and Michael Charles Generose; and one great-granddaughter Leslie Rose; four sisters, Ann ``Tess'' Pierce, Helen Conway, and Margaret ``Margie'' Storrier all of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Agnes Barnes of New Carlisle, Ind.; two brothers, Patrick Pierce Jr. of Brooklyn, and John Pierce of Miami, Fla.; also his dear brother-in-law Michael McHugh of Parma, Ohio; 23 nieces and nephews; and 42 grandnieces and grandnephews are surviving.
Visitation will be at Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, 3377 Rt. 9 Old Bridge, N.J., followed by transport to R.W. Baker Funeral Home in Suffolk where visitation will be Friday 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be at noon Saturday at the Church of St. Therese, 4137 Portsmouth Blvd., Chesapeake, by Father James C. Griffin. Interment of remains will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suffolk on Monday, time to be announced. Donations may be made for trees to be planted by Tree People Inc. 818-753-4631, or donations may be made to a favorite charity.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB