Thomas Val Pearce

Thomas Val Pearce “Tom” passed away peacefully at his home in rural Hutsonville at 3:31 P.M. on Thursday, December 31, 2020, after succumbing to lung cancer. Tom was born in Chester, IL on May 21, 1938. He was the son of James “Red” Pearce and Madeline Ritchey Pearce. He married his high school sweetheart, Chloe Rae Noblitt, on July 7,1958. Tom attended Robinson High School and graduated in the class of 1957. Tom and Chloe’s lifetime adventure together first took them to Florida where they were employed at Cape Canaveral. They started their family there with the births of both children. From there, they went to the mile high city of Denver, CO where Tom pursued a career in life insurance sales. In 1970, Tom’s occupation led him and his family to Baytown, TX. Shortly thereafter, Tom had an opportunity to become an electrician with ARCO (BP) Refining in Pasadena, TX until he took an early retirement in 1987. Upon their retirement, Tom and Chloe made the decision to move home to Crawford County. As Chloe would say, “We came home to roost.” Upon returning to Crawford County, they purchased Harvest Hill Orchard in rural Hutsonville, which they operated until 1997. After closing the orchard, Tom obtained his realtor’s license and sold real estate in the Crawford County area until 2017. Tom was an avid outdoorsman. He found enjoyment in the mountains of Colorado hunting antelope, mule deer, and elk, and fly-fishing for rainbow trout. Family weekend camping trips to Lookout Mountain, Estes Park, and Officers Gulch became the norm. In Texas, Tom and family had a home on Burnett Bay where he thoroughly enjoyed deep-sea fishing, shrimping, and duck hunting. Tom found his passion for whitetail deer hunting when he and good friend and brother-in-law, Paul Noblitt, acquired a deer lease in Gonzales, TX. Throughout his life, Tom passed on his love for the outdoors to his family and his enthusiasm never waned. While in Texas, Tom served as the President of the Brownwood Civic Association (Baytown, TX). After returning to Crawford County, Tom served on the board of the Mary Heath Foundation for several years and was a longtime member of Highland Church of Christ in Robinson, IL. Tom is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Chloe; a son, Kevin and Dorie Pearce, LaMarque, TX; a daughter, Lori and Norman McCoy, rural Hutsonville; three grandchildren, Lela Rae, Carmel, IN, Whitney and Michael Flores, Carrollton, TX, and Connor and Danielle McCoy, rural Hutsonville; a brother, Richard “Rick” Pearce, rural Robinson; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding Tom in death were his parents, James “Red” Pearce and Madeline Pearce; sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Maurice King; sister-in-law, Cheryl Pearce; and an infant sister, Sharon Kay Pearce. A private service will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson with Shane Bopp officiating. Burial will follow in the Robinson New Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy take the form of a contribution to the "Oblong Children’s Christian Home" or to "Highland Church of Christ" to be used to fund missionaries around the world. (It is requested that "Missionary Fund" be designated in the memo line.) Envelopes may be mailed to: Goodwine Funeral Homes 303 East Main St. Robinson, IL 62454