Mimi Pierce

1937 - 2021

Mimi Pierce

Mimi Pierce, longtime Denton resident, devoted mother and grandmother, passed away on August 15, 2021 from complications related to dementia. She was 84.

Before dementia slowed her down, she was constantly in motion. Whether knitting another scarf for her daughter, baking a poundcake for her grandson's birthday, or running to the craft store so she could create something with her granddaughter - she was always in the middle of several projects. Until dementia set in, she also swam at the Denton Natatorium three times a week, and went out to lunch with the friends that she met there. She loved Pad Thai, guacamole, and a well-cooked burger equally. She always had a book or two that she was reading. She gardened, and had a gift for nuturing and growing whatever came into her orbit.

She was a whirlwind, but also knew how to be still. She was a keen observer of sunsets and sunrises and marvelled at the stars. She loved to take long walks, and would collect rocks, leaves, and wildflowers along the way, which she would sometimes press between the pages of a book.

Nature delighted her, and was full of treasures to be discovered. She loved beachcoming at Port Aransas at dawn, so she could pluck the best seashells out of the wet sand. She'd keep them in jars around her house, along with pieces of driftwood that she'd deemed interesting, including one that looked like an arm.

A cheerleader and homecoming queen at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama, she attended the University of Alabama with the intention of becoming a physical therapist. While in school, she met pre-med student Harold E. Pierce, Jr. in a chemistry class - did his homework for him - got married, and moved to Texas, instead. She is survived by her daughter, Ellise Pierce, and son, Alan Pierce.

She came from a family of physicians, and loved the field of medicine and research. The Physicians' Desk Reference had a place on her bookshelf along with two sets of encyclopedias, and reference books on wildflowers, birds, gardening, and history.

Upon her passing, in her honor, her body was donated to UT Southwestern Medical Center, to learn more about dementia and hopefully find a cure.