Marjorie Richey Pierce

Abbeville—A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 12, 2024 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Mrs. Marjorie Pierce (nee Richey), 98, of Perry, passed away on April 2, 2024, peacefully in her sleep. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Father Nicholas DuPre' officiating the services.

Marjorie was born on September 14, 1925 to William and Corinne Richey (nee Bailleux) in Egan. She met the love of her life, Charles Lee Pierce, while still in high school, when he competed at a track meet hosted at her school.  They became engaged and planned to marry after Lee completed his education at the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (later USL), however World War II changed those plans.  Lee enlisted in the Air Force, and they married prior to his departure for basic training.

Marjorie became pregnant with their first child, a baby boy named Charles, who passed away in infancy.  Lee had just enough time to arrange for his son’s burial prior to his deployment to England.

For the duration of the war Marjorie volunteered as a nurse caring for wounded soldiers.  Several of her brothers and brothers-in-law were also fighting on both the European and Pacific fronts, and Marjorie was a great comfort to her mother and her in-laws at that time.

After the war Lee and Marjorie moved to Abbeville, where he worked at Riviana Rice Mill, and she taught fifth grade at Mount Carmel Catholic School.  Marjorie and Lee went on to have two more children, Joy and Skippy, just eighteen months apart.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana Marjorie went to work in the public school system of Vermilion Parish.  She and her closest friend, Lorraine LeBlanc were the first two white teachers to volunteer to teach at the first desegregated school in the parish, Herod, and she left her children and grandchildren a legacy of love and acceptance for people of all races, religions, and ethnicities.  She and Lee were always hospitable and welcoming to visitors from every corner of the world.

Marjorie spent several summers on mission trips with the Carmelite nuns, and was a devout Catholic her entire life.

At the age of 67 she retired from teaching at Eaton Park Elementary, and spent her time on the property she and Lee loved along the Vermilion River, growing a beautiful vegetable garden, raising cattle and chickens, and providing a home for her great-granddaughter’s horse.  “The Farm”, as it was lovingly referred to by her grandchildren, provided summers full of love, adventure, fishing, cattle-branding, delivering calves, gathering eggs, harvesting produce, and other experiences that were uncommon to the cities they lived in.

Marjorie gave her descendants a taste of history and life in a simpler time when neighbors helped on one another’s farms and exchanged the fruits of their labor.  Her patience and kindness will forever live on in the memories of those fortunate enough to have known her.

Marjorie was preceded in death by her three children, Charles, Joy, and Lee Allen (Skippy); as well as her husband, Lee; her parents; and all of her siblings.  She is survived by eight grandchildren, Elizabeth Smalley, Christina Newman (Ty), David Pierce (Amanda), Gina Awwad, Jennifer Pierce Hess (Christopher), Nassif (Anthony) Awwad (Lizette), Abdou (Charles) Awwad (Elizabeth), Claire Coleman (Wakefield), and Caroline Miller (Blake).  Her beloved great-grandchildren whose lives she touched deeply are Brittany Chappell (Jason), Nadia Musaed, Nicholas Smalley (Lizzie), Jude Quaddumi, Rhiannon Pierce, Ava Pierce, and William Pierce.  Several more great and great-great-grandchildren were born after her decline due to dementia.  These include Genevieve Awwad (age 9), Ariel Wilson (age 9), Noelle Quaddumi (age 8), Meredith Wilson (age 6), Joy Awwad (age 5), and Josephine Awwad (age 2) of Houston, Texas, Henry Hess (age 7), Charles Hess (age 5), and Mia Hess (age 3) of Lafayette, Louisiana, Wakefield Ball (age 4) and Jack Miller (age 1) of Lake Charles, and Finnley Smalley (age 1) of New Orleans.  These children, in particular the ones residing in Texas, were a large part of Marjorie’s last three years of life, providing the unconditional love and joy only children can, while Marjorie resided first with her granddaughter, Christina and then with her grandson, Anthony. She is also survived by her son-in-law, Antoine (Tony) Awwad of Lebanon; and daughters-in-law, Donna Breaux Pierce (mother of David and Jennifer) of Jennings, and Kempa Pierce (mother of Caroline) of Lake Charles.

Special thanks to her grandchildren residing in Houston, Elizabeth, Gina, Charles, and great-grandchildren, Brittany, Nadia, and Jude, along with spouses, Lizette, Elizabeth, Jason, and Ty for their help during Marjorie’s decline.

Special, special thanks are extended to her caretakers, Crystal Gunther, Belkis Machado, and most especially Deborah Armstrong, who cared for her with love and dignity till the very end.

Visitation will be observed at Vincent Funeral Home at 209 S. Saint Charles Street, Abbeville, on Thursday April 11, 2024 from 10:30 AM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Friday, April 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM until 10:45 AM when the procession will depart for the church. Services will be held at Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic church in Abbeville on April 12, 2024 at 11:00 AM, to be followed by interment at Saint Paul Cemetery also in Abbeville.

Pallbearers will be Anthony Awwad, Charles Awwad, David Pierce, William Pierce, Nicholas Smalley, Gregory Chappell, Ty Newman, and John Stansbury.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an organization Marjorie held dear to her heart, or Vermilion Catholic school.

http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/MarjoriePierceMemorial

https://www.vermilioncatholic.com/support/memorial.cfm