Thomas J. Pierce ("Tom"), age 71, passed away on January 21, 2026, in Surprise, Arizona. He was born June 15, 1954, in Joliet, Illinois.
Tom lived a full and happy life. He devoted his life to education and to the people he loved. Tom earned his Master's Degree in Education from National University. He spent more than three decades as a teacher with the San Diego Unified School District. A passionate and dedicated educator, Tom taught fifth grade for many years, including 15 years at Jones Elementary School. He left a lasting mark on students, families, and colleagues alike.
In 2012, he was honored with both the Teachers Are Heroes Award by the San Diego County Office of Education and the American Legion Teacher Appreciation Award, recognizing his tireless commitment to his students. Tom emphasized community and responsibility in his classroom and helped transform the lives of many students through his encouragement and respect.
Growing up, Tom was deeply influenced by his love of sports and family. He played football, baseball, and wrestled. He ultimately earned a football scholarship for college. His love for the game never faded; he remained an avid fan throughout his life, rarely missing the chance to cheer on his favorite football and baseball teams. The lessons of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance stayed with him throughout his life and showed in his classroom leadership.
Tom lived life with spirit, pride, and authenticity. He enjoyed the open road on his Harley-Davidson and expressed his individuality through his tattoos. He was our go to guy, always there whenever we called.
He was proud of his Greek and Irish roots which helped shape his values around family, love and loyalty. He had a deep love of music and shared it with anyone who would listen. One of his favorite past times was dancing with his beloved wife, Debbie.
Above all else, Tom's greatest joy was his family. He shared an epic love story with Debbie, to whom he was married for 43 years. He was a proud and attentive Papou to his grandchildren, Lexi and Lucas. He delighted in watching them grow and treasured every moment spent together. He was proud of his son Jeff and loved Jeff's wife Tina. After retiring Tom and Debbie moved to Arizona to be closer to them.
Tom will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, respected educator, and loyal brother and friend. His kindness, steady presence, love of music, pride in family, and fearless authenticity left an indelible impact on all who knew him.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Mary Pierce, and survived by his wife Debbie; son Jeff (Tina) Pierce; grandchildren Lexi and Lucas; sister Laure (Joe) Bemis and their children Joseph and Katie; sister Pam Pierce; great Aunt Evangeline (Tony) Wolf; and numerous cousins. He will be missed by his many former students, colleagues, friends, and family members whose lives were made better by having known him.
Donations in his memory may be made to Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for research on Type 1 diabetes.
Tom lived a full and happy life. He devoted his life to education and to the people he loved. Tom earned his Master's Degree in Education from National University. He spent more than three decades as a teacher with the San Diego Unified School District. A passionate and dedicated educator, Tom taught fifth grade for many years, including 15 years at Jones Elementary School. He left a lasting mark on students, families, and colleagues alike.
In 2012, he was honored with both the Teachers Are Heroes Award by the San Diego County Office of Education and the American Legion Teacher Appreciation Award, recognizing his tireless commitment to his students. Tom emphasized community and responsibility in his classroom and helped transform the lives of many students through his encouragement and respect.
Growing up, Tom was deeply influenced by his love of sports and family. He played football, baseball, and wrestled. He ultimately earned a football scholarship for college. His love for the game never faded; he remained an avid fan throughout his life, rarely missing the chance to cheer on his favorite football and baseball teams. The lessons of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance stayed with him throughout his life and showed in his classroom leadership.
Tom lived life with spirit, pride, and authenticity. He enjoyed the open road on his Harley-Davidson and expressed his individuality through his tattoos. He was our go to guy, always there whenever we called.
He was proud of his Greek and Irish roots which helped shape his values around family, love and loyalty. He had a deep love of music and shared it with anyone who would listen. One of his favorite past times was dancing with his beloved wife, Debbie.
Above all else, Tom's greatest joy was his family. He shared an epic love story with Debbie, to whom he was married for 43 years. He was a proud and attentive Papou to his grandchildren, Lexi and Lucas. He delighted in watching them grow and treasured every moment spent together. He was proud of his son Jeff and loved Jeff's wife Tina. After retiring Tom and Debbie moved to Arizona to be closer to them.
Tom will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, respected educator, and loyal brother and friend. His kindness, steady presence, love of music, pride in family, and fearless authenticity left an indelible impact on all who knew him.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Mary Pierce, and survived by his wife Debbie; son Jeff (Tina) Pierce; grandchildren Lexi and Lucas; sister Laure (Joe) Bemis and their children Joseph and Katie; sister Pam Pierce; great Aunt Evangeline (Tony) Wolf; and numerous cousins. He will be missed by his many former students, colleagues, friends, and family members whose lives were made better by having known him.
Donations in his memory may be made to Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for research on Type 1 diabetes.
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