Jesse David Pierson Jr.

Jesse D. Pierson, Jr., 87, formerly of Hanover, died April 11, 2005, at his home. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Edna (Motson) Pierson. Born March 14, 1918, in Media, he was the son of the late Jesse D. Pierson, Sr. and May Vance (Kelly) Pierson. He lived in Stroudsburg for 49 years. Mr. Pierson is survived by two children, J. David Pierson III and his wife, Susan (Bowers), of St. Louis, Mo., and Deborah Pierson Mauro and her husband, Richard, of York; four grandchildren, Jill Pietrocini and her husband, Jeremy, of Adrian, Mich., Jeffrey Pierson and his wife, Carrie, of St. Louis, Mo., and Nicholas Mauro and Lily Mauro, both of York; and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by four sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law; and devoted nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, John P. Pierson of Media. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1939, he served as president of his fraternity, Alpha Chi Rho. During World War II, Mr. Pierson served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant, JG, aboard an escort carrier in both the Atlantic and Pacific. As a Sears store manager, Mr. Pierson was transferred to Hanover in 1949, then to Stroudsburg in 1957, beginning more than 40 years of professional and civic service to a community he loved. He served on the executive committee or was a president of the following organizations: Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Stroudsburg Business Association, Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, First Stroudsburg National Bank, First Eastern Bank, United Way, Monroe County Library Association, Monroe County YMCA, Children's Bureau of Monroe County. He served the Rotary organization in many capacities and took great pride in being named a Paul Harris Fellow. As a Republican, Pierson was elected to serve as Monroe County Commissioner in 1974, with the highest vote total in the county's history at that time. He served as Chairman, and was reelected for a second term, leaving office in 1983. According to a Pocono Record profile in 1991, "Pierson played an integral role in forming some of the county's enduring economic and social programs - its Children's Bureau, drug and alcohol abuse programs, Housing Authority, and many others." Mr. Pierson was a lifelong Episcopalian and one of the founding members of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Hanover. An avid golfer, Mr. Pierson was a member of the Hanover Country Club and Shawnee Country Club, where he played past the age of 80. He was also a member of the B.P.O. Elks 319, East Stroudsburg and the Irem Shriners Temple. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 205 N. Seventh St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360.