[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” link_option_url=”https:\/\/www.bass-smithfuneralhome.com\/obituaries\/David-Skip-Owen-Pearce?obId=49550552″ link_option_url_new_window=”on” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
David Owen Pearce passed away peacefully at home on September 6th, surrounded by his loving family. He was 90 years old.<\/p>\n
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Born October 18,1935, in Providence, Rhode Island, Skip was the son of Charles Arthur and Margaret McCullough Pearce. He earned the nickname \u201cSkip\u201d as a child, reportedly after a particularly spirited horse. The name stuck for the next nine decades\u2014and, appropriately, so did the spirited nature.<\/p>\n
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Skip served overseas in the United States Army, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He returned home to attend Western Carolina University on a GI scholarship, where he was a proud Catamount, active in student government and even a cheerleader, a perfect fit for his lively nature.<\/p>\n
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He went on to enjoy a storied career of more than 30 years with State Farm, building lifelong friendships along the way. But his career was only a small part of Skip\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
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Relationships and service to others were most important to him, serving as a devoted volunteer and civic leader. Skip was responsible for founding the Boy Scouts of America troop at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC. Also, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to others, Skip was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation. He was especially proud of co-founding the Stephen Ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, a ministry of care that reflected the compassion he brought to everything he did.<\/p>\n
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At age 61, Skip started an entirely new chapter during \u201cretirement.\u201d He managed a fly-fishing shop and dove headfirst into trout fishing, a passion he pursued with gusto.Skip never seemed especially interested in the idea that getting older meant slowing down. He loved a party, beach music and all things fun, and at age 80 that zest for life led to a pelvic fracture\u2026while snow skiing.<\/p>\n
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Later in life, Skip earned yet another nickname, “Mr. Uber,” for his devotion to driving his wife Joyce and her friends all over town. Skip was known for his sharp wit, his kindness, and his deep and lasting friendships, including his beloved coffee club.<\/p>\n
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But the greatest love of Skip\u2019s life was his family. His wife, Joyce was at the heart of it all. Together, Skip and Joyce built a life filled with family, treasured friendships, memorable adventures and more than a few good stories.<\/p>\n
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He is survived by his wife of 63 wonderful years, Joyce Jenkins Pearce; his three children, Kathy Gibson (Bill), David Pearce (Carol), and Daniel Pearce (Ashley); his six grandchildren, Katie, Maggie, Lindsay, Austin, Owen, and Wyatt; and his seven great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n
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Skip packed a lot of living into his 90 years, but in the end, what defined him was quite simple. He loved life and the people he shared it with, and he made the journey a lot more fun for those lucky enough to experience it with him.<\/p>\n
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Skip will be deeply missed\u2014and very fondly remembered.<\/p>\n
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A funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hickory on Friday, September 11th at 3pm with a reception to follow.<\/p>\n
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David Owen Pearce passed away peacefully at home on September 6th, surrounded by his loving family. He was 90 years old. Born October 18,1935, in Providence, Rhode Island, Skip was the son of Charles Arthur and Margaret McCullough Pearce. He earned the nickname \u201cSkip\u201d as a child, reportedly after a particularly spirited horse. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3396,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-127","category-obituaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12773"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12776,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12773\/revisions\/12776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}