William Pearson

PEARSON William Thomas "Will", 24, Providence, Rhode Island, left us on Thursday, May 21, 2015. He was born Christmas morning, December 25, 1990 in Springfield, Missouri, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Pearson. He was Valedictorian of the International Baccalaureate program of Central High School, Class of 2009, where he competed in debate on the state and national level. He was a member of the golf and swim teams and he qualified for state in swimming. He attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and was pursuing a writing career and composing his first book. Will was also the founder of the Brown Music Co-op at Brown University, and he played drums for three bands. Will had a keen and bright sense of humor. He was an avid reader and liked philosophy. Will loved the Japanese culture, became fluent in the language and traveled there several times. He loved to eat sushi, his Meemaw's spaghetti, and SpaghettiOs. Will loved to water ski, snow ski and hunt duck and pheasant with his father. He spent many hours staying up all night playing video games with his brother and their friends. In his short life, Will has accomplished so much and will be missed by many, but mostly by his loving family. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Marion C. Pearson, M.D. and an aunt, Suzanne Lusher. Will is survived by his parents, Tom and Cindy Pearson; brother, Logan Pearson; grandparents, William and Betty Colliver, of Lexington, Kentucky; and Barbara and Devine Montoya, of Concordia, Kansas; three aunts, Jean Clark, of Lexington, Kentucky; Ann Pearson, Salina, Kansas; and Lora Pearson, Charlotte, North Carolina; one uncle, James Pearson, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina; four cousins, Ayse and Safiye Manguoglu and Matthew and David Pearson; and the family dogs, Kate, Hank, Champ and Pippa. Funeral mass will be held at 11am Wednesday, May 27, 2015 in Holy Trinity Catholic Church with Father Fergus Monaghan celebrant under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel. Burial will follow. Visitation will be from 5:30-7:30pm on Tuesday in the church with a prayer service to begin at 7:30pm In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the William Thomas Pearson Debating Scholarship Foundation at Central High School. At this time, donations may be made to State Bank of Southwest Missouri, 3310 East Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804.