Gerald Samuel Pierce

Gerald "Jerry" Samuel Pierce
Somerville, Massachusetts

Gerald S. Pierce. Of Somerville, died peacefully at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, MA on January 17, 2026. He was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania on April 6, 1942, and later raised in Morristown, New Jersey. Jerry was the son of Catherine and Russell Pierce and the brother of Al Pierce. He came to Massachusetts in 1959 to attend Boston College as an undergraduate and later earned his master's degree in theology from the Harvard Divinity School. In the 1960s, he served on the faculty at Newton College of the Sacred Heart (then the women's college of BC) before opening Peasant Stock Restaurant in Somerville in 1970 with his then-wife, Tesair Lauve (Cambridge, MA).
As owner and head chef, Jerry took immense pride in leading Peasant Stock for 17 remarkable years. The restaurant became a cherished pillar of the community, serving thousands of meals and hosting some of the country's finest classical musicians through its celebrated "Musical Evenings" series. When Peasant Stock closed in 1987, Jerry transitioned to leadership roles within community-serving nonprofit organizations in Boston, including at the city's Meals on Wheels program and the Crittenton Hastings House. Between 1988 and 2013, he owned and operated Peasant Stock Catering and later served as head chef at the Club of Odd Volumes on Beacon Hill for several years before his retirement.
Jerry was a devoted father to his two children, Sidonie Pierce and Micah Pierce, and father-in-law to Eddie Miller and Brittany Pierce. He was the beloved grandfather—known affectionately as "Papi"—to his four granddaughters, Colette, Zoe, Isabella, and Posey. Beginning in the early 1990s, he shared a joyful and loving partnership with Mary Connolly (Cambridge, MA), spending most summer weekends with her on Cape Cod.
Jerry was passionate about his hobbies. He loved cooking dishes from around the world, was an avid reader and gardener, loved music of all kinds, and was deeply committed to preserving his historic home on Winter Hill in Somerville, where he lived happily for 50 years.
A familiar and friendly presence in the neighborhood, Jerry greeted passersby with his signature smile and warm, cheerful spirit. Ever curious, he delighted in asking others about their lives and sharing stories of his own. Throughout his life, he owned many dogs who followed him devotedly and happily greeted old and new friends alike from the front yard on Sycamore Street.
Jerry was an active member of the Somerville community, known to many through his daily trips to Market Basket, his volunteer work with the Somerville Museum and the Somerville Public Library, and as a poll volunteer on every election day.
Jerry's good humor, easygoing nature, and deep curiosity about the world and its people will be profoundly missed by his family, friends, and neighbors.
A celebration of Jerry's life will be held this summer, when the gardens across the Boston area are in full bloom, just the way he liked it.