Carl Neal Pierce
Carl Neal Pierce, a man after God’s own heart, on Monday, January 11, 2021 shared Psalms 55:22 with several friends, “Cast thy burden upon Jehovah and He will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved”. In the evening of that day Carl cast his last burden of this life upon his Lord and peacefully let his earthly body go to its final sleep. And, most assuredly, Carl’s spirit became fully awake as he rose to the welcoming arms of Jesus, his savior, into the presence of Carl’s cloud of witnesses.
Most certainly a celebration led by his mother ‘Mimi’, Mildred, dad James “Tiny” Pierce, and grandson Joseph Owen Pierce.
Carl, known to be a loving, humble, self-controlled, and kind man loved and was guided by the Word. He showed this by sharing scriptures with family and friends and by praying for their burdens and concerns. He lived by this quote, “The study of God’s word for the purpose of discovering God’s will is the secret discipline which has formed great characters”. Carl was awed by the power and majesty of the Creator with whom he enjoyed a close relationship.
He shared Isaiah 7:14 as a Christmas blessing recently and exclaimed, “686 years before Jesus was born! God has a plan for us and He’s coming backfor us.” And, indeed, He is. And now, Carl is among the cloud of witnesses cheering for those he left here and are now grieving the separation including his wife and dearest best friend, Jane Baker Pierce, his son Dr. Andy Pierce and wife Jennifer and his grandchildren Andrew, Sarah, Elizabeth (Zuzu), Lucy, Sophie, and Si. We are all thankful for Carl giving a lifetime of love and great memories to soften the grief of those he cared so dearly for.
Some will remember the education and career achievements of Carl. He graduated from Memphis State University while beginning his career in the mail room of a small trucking company. Later, after completing a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University Carl went on to executive levels of management for Gordons Transport Company and eventually worked as consultant and in executive leadership roles with other transport businesses. Carl and Jane transitioned from career to retired life enjoying a few years in the RV circuit, traveling and living in several communities from Utah and New Mexico to Florida. Their passion in recent years was to settle in Rye, Arkansas and enjoy refurbishing an old family home place there.
Carl’s life was expended on all his family and friends. He was a lifelong learner and teacher as was demonstrated by developing carpenter and computer technology skills later in his life. We got to experience Carl at his best when he was cooking, sharing a recipe, swapping a story, or just visiting on the front porch. In his final years, Carl’s passion was learning and teaching the Bible.
He shared this with his Sunday School at First United Methodist Church in Warren, Arkansas and with his friends that needed his encouragement. One of his favorite verses that he would leave to encourage us with and to remember him by is from Colossians 3:1 – “Set your heart on things above”. A memorial service to honor and celebrate the life on earth of Carl Neal Pierce will be arranged at a later date. www.frazerfuneralhome.com