Douglas Pierce

1977 - 2020

Douglas Pierce
March 13, 1977 - December 5, 2020
San Luis Obispo, California - Douglas Robert Pierce, age 43, died by suicide at his home in San Luis Obispo after a lifelong battle with depression.
Doug was born in Fairless Hills, PA and moved to Toledo, OH as a teenager. He received a scholarship to and graduated from St. John's Jesuit High School & Academy. He moved back to the East Coast to attend Connecticut College, earning his B.A. in English and Sociology, while working part-time on campus. Outside of academics, Doug was also active in the college music scene, playing the drums in multiple bands and DJ-ing for the college radio station.
Doug moved to New York City and worked as a tutor for The Princeton Review, authoring several books on test preparation. Doug remained active in music and took up ice hockey, spending many evenings playing at Chelsea Piers ice rink. He received his M.A. in Politics from New York University.
Doug continued his academic career at Rutgers University and earned his Ph.D in Political Science. He focused on starting a family. Doug took lecturer positions at colleges in Washington D.C. and Nebraska before becoming a political science lecturer at California Polytechnic State University, where he published articles on voting and the social influences on political information.
Doug loved reading science fiction and fantasy books, playing video games, and running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Most of all, Doug enjoyed getting together with friends for quiz nights, happy hours, or any other reason to make people laugh and greet them with a big smile.
Doug leaves behind his children, Persephone and Wolfgang; brothers, Dennis and Andrew; sisters, Denise and Patricia; mother Patricia; and father Dennis.
A gathering will be planned once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting contributions to the college funds for Doug's kids. https://paypal.me/pools/c/8uXkWlLdTm