Henon Wiley (Hank) Pearce, Jr., 74, of Decatur, AL and Houston, TX passed away peacefully on November 2, 2023, in Houston.
Hank was born on June 15, 1949, in Greenville, MS to Henon Wiley Pearce, Sr. and Sara Coleman Pearce. He attended Decatur High School and The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. Upon his high school graduation, he spent his college years at Auburn University and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1972. On January 15, 1975, he married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Elizabeth Wiley (Beth) Pearce. They had three girls, Sara Pearce Reed, Margaret Pearce Doyal, and Kathryn Mason Jordan Pearce.
Following Hank’s graduation from Vanderbilt University, he did post-graduate study in construction engineering and management at Georgia Institute of Technology. There, he found his life’s work. He built his career while employed at the construction companies of Blount Brothers, Ira H. Harden, Universal, Turner, and Pearce, De Moss & King. In 1982, he founded his own company, Pearce Construction Company, Inc., which he sold in 2011. Hank’s success came from his skill of procuring large-scale projects within 100 miles of Huntsville and making sure they were executed with the utmost care and attention. If he said he was going to do something, he did it. His company focused on manufacturing plants, college and university buildings, commercial projects, shopping centers, hotels, and business offices. He considered his greatest professional accolade to be that he survived the company’s lean start-up years and prospered. A dear childhood friend once said, “Growing up, we didn’t think Hank knew how to get to Huntsville, and lo and behold, he helped build it!”
A caring man, Hank enjoyed sharing his prosperity by helping people in need get back on their feet. He focused his public donations on the Children’s Advocacy Center, First Stop Inc., Second Mile Development Inc., and the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville. His generosity did not end there. Privately, he aided and stood by those who were in challenging times.
Not one to talk much about himself, he would instead ask about your family, what you were doing, or what you were reading, always with a funny quip or two to make you feel at ease. In retirement, he hired a beloved tutor to brush up on his Spanish. He was a voracious reader and consumed books on science, history, chemistry, religion, tax law, or whatever he was curious about or that a friend recommended. He also continued his love of travel that began at an early age. He visited more than 105 countries, including six months studying abroad at the University of Madrid.
One of the most endearing qualities about Hank was his love of people. He cherished catching up with friends old and new over a good meal or just a phone call. Hank and Beth were consummate hosts and enjoyed throwing parties big and small. On one specific occasion, they rented a roadhouse, hired a juke band, and invited all their friends and acquaintances. This party is still fondly remembered today!
In 2020, he and Beth moved to Houston, where he spent his final years making new friends, working tirelessly to combat his cancer diagnosis, and taking full advantage of living in a large city with all of its amenities. An avid foodie, Hank was always the first to know about a new hotspot. However, what brought him the most pleasure was sharing experiences with his wife, daughters, sons-in-law, and granddaughters. His life’s most gratifying accomplishment was having a loving family. Hank fought his cancer tirelessly and with determination – always with a smile on his face.
He is preceded in death by his parents, and he is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Wiley Pearce; three daughters, Sara Pearce Reed (Wyn) of Huntsville, AL, Margaret Pearce Doyal (Eric) of Houston, TX, and Kathryn Mason Jordan Pearce (Nicola Bellomo) of Padua, Italy; a brother, John Graham Pearce (Cerise) of Decatur; and granddaughters, Ridley Elizabeth Reed of Huntsville and Lily Anne Doyal of Houston.
The family would like to express their love and deep appreciation for Hank’s amazing caregivers, Sedrick and Vivian, who made sure his last days were comfortable and filled with his favorite music and cigars. They would also like to thank the compassionate doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, especially Dr. Amado Zurita-Saavedra for helping Hank fight his courageous battle with cancer over the past nine years.
A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:30 am at Decatur Cemetery followed by a celebration of life at Huntsville Country Club.
Pallbearers include Charles Walker Pride of Denver, CO, Timothy Kile Packard of Huntsville, Max Agrippa Luther III of Huntsville, Jeremy Brown of New Market, J. Thomas Noojin of Huntsville, Mark Anthony Baker of Athens, Charles E. Kettle of Huntsville, Jerry Graham of Huntsville, and Lee Patrick Radke of Tuscaloosa.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Hank’s name may be made to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at gifts.mdanderson.org.
