JERRY CATER PIERCE

August 26, 1929 - January 11, 2021

Jerry Nell Cater Pierce, 91, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 11, 2021, surrounded by her loving family. Services will be held on Thursday, January 14, 2021, in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church in Perry. The family will greet friends beginning at 1:00 p.m., and the funeral will start at 2:00 p.m. with Charlie Walker officiating. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery immediately following the service. Anyone is welcome to attend. However, due to Covid, please wear a mask, and practice social distancing. Flowers will be gratefully accepted, or memorial contributions may be made to HCAEC, Inc., Happy Hour Service Center, 202 North Davis Drive, Warner Robins, GA 31093. A lifelong resident of Perry, Jerry was the only child of the late Thomas Johnson Cater and the late Nell Brunson Cater. She graduated from Perry High School in 1946, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Georgia College for Women in 1950. She met and married the love of her life, Carlton Crawford “Bubber” Pierce, Jr., and the couple always lived in Perry. Jerry was a charter member of the Tawasi Club of Perry, a ladies’ service organization. She was a Special Education teacher at Houston County Association for Exceptional Citizens, now operating as Happy Hour Service Center, for twenty-nine years. Mrs. Jerry treasured time spent at the beach with her family and her friends, and particularly enjoyed sitting under an umbrella, reading a book, listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean waves rushing up onto the sand, and feeling the cool breeze blowing through her hair. She loved gardening, and after retirement, spent many hours working in her yard, especially caring for her flowers. It delighted her to see the varieties of camellias blooming, and she knew just how to care for them to make them continue to flourish through the winter months. During other seasons, Jerry planted and nourished bulbs and flowers that would colorfully decorate her yard at precisely the right times. She was member of The Garden Club of Perry. She also became an avid bridge player, enjoying the game and time spent with her friends every week. The Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks were her favorite teams to watch on tv. She would often watch while on the phone with her daughter discussing the play-by-play action through the entire game. Mrs. Pierce was a member of First Baptist Church of Perry for over eighty-three years, and she was a member of the Avon Buice Sunday School Class. She participated in various activities at church, which were largely dependent upon the ages of her children. She loved her church, and enjoyed worshipping there each week when she was able. Her family, though, was her life. Early in her marriage, Mrs. Pierce worked to keep her home a warm and loving environment for her husband and children, while teaching every day, and following her children’s (and eventually, her grandchildren’s) extracurricular sporting events, never missing a game unless absolutely necessary, no matter how far away it was. Mrs. Jerry was truly a lady with a servant’s heart. Every single day, she always did something for someone else, often helping several people in one day. Through the years, she would write her daily thoughts and activities in her journal to record the legacy of kindness, generosity, and hard work that she leaves behind to her family – about which many of her grandchildren have already been reading. Left to cherish the memories they made with their “Jeggie” are her children, Cathy Pierce Fryer of Perry, and Cater Pierce (Wendy) of Macon; her grandchildren, Tracy Pierce Dowling (Brian) of Raleigh, NC, Jennifer Fryer Taylor (Kevin) of Perry, Julee Fryer (Julie Hardcastle) of Columbus, Crawford “Buddy” Pierce, IV (Nicole) of Jacksonville, FL, Colby Pierce, Abigail Pierce, and Amelia Pierce, all of Macon; her great-grandchildren, Will Whitehead and Zeke Taylor of Perry, Ella Cate Dowling of Raleigh, NC, Cayden Pierce of Jacksonville, FL, Colton Fryer and Parker Fryer, both of Columbus, and Alivia Pierce of Jacksonville, FL; her sister-in-law, Jeanne Pierce Bledsoe of McDonough (formerly of Perry); and several nieces and nephews. Jerry was preceded in death by her parents; her loving and devoted husband of twenty-eight years, Carlton Crawford “Bubber” Pierce, Jr.; her son, Carl Pierce; and her brother-in-law, Billy Bledsoe. Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.