Gerald Pierce

GERALD MORRIS PIERCE

Urbandale

Jerry Pierce of Urbandale died of Pulmonary Fibrosis on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at Mercy Hospital. He was 73. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 4 at St. Pius X Church, of which he was a member, with burial in Glendale Cemetery.

He was born on November 8, 1938 at Minburn, Iowa, to Purl and Martelle McCarthy Pierce. Jerry was delivered in the same farm house where his father was born and his grandfather had lived for many years.

As a boy, he helped with farm work in the summers. Jerry fondly recalled how his parents arranged it so the family could always take two weeks away from farm work in the summer for a vacation. Jerry eagerly anticipated the family's car trips around the U.S. His parents drove through most of the 48 contiguous states, visiting Mt. Rushmore, Carlsbad Caverns, the Colorado Rockies, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Texas and the Dakota's. When Jerry was 10 years old one of the stops on his summer trip was the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana where, after touring the campus, Jerry proudly announced, "I'm going to go to school here one day."

Jerry attended Minburn High School. He played baseball and was the team's pitcher. Jerry was also a roller-skating star of the Singing Wheels. The Singing Wheels was an annual musical production that took place on an outdoor cement rink each summer in the small town of Minburn, attracting crowds of 10,000 during a three-day run. He graduated from Minburn High School in 1956, and as he proclaimed, he attended college at the University of Notre Dame.

In the late 1950's getting from Minburn, Iowa to South Bend, Indiana was quite an adventure. Jerry's parents would drop him at the Perry depot early in the morning around 4 a.m. where he caught the Milwaukee into Union Station, Chicago. He hauled his two hard-sided Samsonite suitcases up and down train station steps. Since he was typically traveling on a Sunday, Jerry would walk to St. Peter's for mass. Afterwards he walked with his luggage to the South Shore Station to catch the Galloping Goose back to South Bend, Indiana. Once in South Bend he'd catch the bus back to campus, making for a very long day of travel.

Jerry graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1960 and promptly went to work for Peat Marwick Mitchel as a public accountant in Des Moines. He married the love of his life, Lynore Connolly, on September 10, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly thereafter, Jerry and Lynn bought a house in Urbandale where they lived for over 50 years.

He was employed by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, retiring as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1991. He remained active in retirement and was on the board of directors of First Federal Bank, Kansas City, Missouri. He served on the Urbandale City Council, plus terms on the Urbandale Planning and Zoning Commission, Urbandale Board of Adjustment, the Urbandale Sanitary Sewer District and the Wastewater Reclamation Authority.

He was a certified public accountant and a member of the Iowa Society of CPA's and the American Institute of CPA's. He was a member of the Notre Dame Club of Des Moines, the Sons of the American Revolution and was a charter member of the Urbandale Jaycees.

Jerry was an honest, hard-working, thoughtful man. He was the kind of guy who was always helping neighbors and friends. He was actively involved in his community and his church, St. Pius X, where he had been a member since 1960.

When his children were still living at home, Jerry enjoyed grilling dinners for his family who eagerly devoured "Dad's BBQ." Each Sunday he dutifully loaded his kids in the family station wagon and drove to his parent's farm in Minburn for Sunday supper. As his children moved from Iowa, Jerry made car trips to visit them in New York, Virginia, Illinois and Arizona. He loved taking the back roads, exploring hidden corners along long forgotten stretches of pavement and discovering the special places that are often overlooked.

Among survivors are his wife of 51 years, Lynore "Lynn"; four daughters, Lisa (Steven) Durels of New York City, Meg (Mark) Taylor of Aldie, Virginia, Kathryn Pierce of San Tan Valley, Arizona and Jennifer (Rudy) Sotelo of Gilbert, Arizona; two sons, Michael (Denise) of Vernon Hills, Illinois and Robert (Laura) of Scottsdale, Arizona; a brother, James of Atlantic; and ten grandchildren (Chris, Lauren, Kelly, Austin, Kayleigh, David, Tyler, Blake, Noah and Trevor) and four step-grandchildren, (Andrue, Breanna, Corey and Desirae). His parents preceded him in death.

Friends may call from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3 at Caldwell Raddatz Funeral Home in Urbandale, where a vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Pius X Church in Urbandale or to the American Heart Association.