Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr.

1921 - 2015  (94 years)

• Name	Pearce, Charles Edwin
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	25 Feb 1921	Flora, Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	PEAR.C003
  _FGRAVE	145551371
  Military Service	World War II, Private First Class, Company C, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry 'Old Hickory' Division, United States Army  [1, 4]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on December 3, 1943 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Trained as a Rifleman (military occupational specialty 745) and departed the Continental U.S. on May 13, 1944 bound for the European Theater of Operations. Assigned to Company C, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry 'Old Hickory' Division and fought with them through the Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. Wounded by enemy action 3 times in October and November of 1944 and in January of 1945, after which he was sent to the U.S. for treatment. Returned to the European Theater on March 11, 1945 and rejoined his unit in combat for the duration. Earned The Purple Heart Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Infantryman Badge, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 bronze battle stars and the WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Private 1st Class on November 29, 1945 at Camp Grant, Illinois. This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission. Source: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=595927
  		World War II Honoree, Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr. (1921-2015)
  		Charles Edwin Pearce Jr. (1921-2015)
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Army
  		Private First Class, United States Army and United States Army Air Fores (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Presidential Unit Citation, United States Army Originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation
  		Presidential Unit Citation, United States Uniformed Services Originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation
  		Combat Infantryman Badge, United States Army
  		Combat Infantryman Badge, United States Army
  		Military Service Ribbons, Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr. (1921-2015) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
  		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Army
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		European Theater of World War II
  		30th Infantry Division ("Old Hickory"), United States Army
  		30th Infantry Division, United States Army
  		119th Infantry Regiment, United States Army
  		Camp Grant, Illinois
  		Fort Sheridan, Illinois
  Death	25 Apr 2015	Flora, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  Burial	Kneff Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [1, 5]
  		Headstone, Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr.
  Person ID	I19226	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	19 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Pearce, Charles 'Charlie' Edwin Sr.,   b. 11 Aug 1901, Illinois d. 1982 (Age 80 years)
  Mother	DOBBS, Golda Atherton 'Goldie',   b. 24 Sep 1901, Illinois d. 1973 (Age 71 years)
  Marriage	Y  [2, 6]
  Family ID	F8699	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Bacon, Florence Irma,   b. 13 Dec 1922, Dalton, Coos County, New Hampshire d. 28 Dec 2005, Grafton, Grafton County, New Hampshire (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	1941
  Age at Marriage	He : ~ 19 years and 10 months - She : ~ 18 years.
  Family ID	F18292	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Smith, Berniece,   b. 1 Jul 1925, Hartford, Cocke County, Tennessee d. 27 May 2009, Flora Gardens Care Center, Flora, Clay County, Illinois (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	22 Oct 1950	Vineland, Cumberland County, New Jersey   [1]
  Age at Marriage	He : 29 years and 8 months - She : 25 years and 3 months.
  Children	1. Pearce, J.   2. Pearce, W.   3. Pearce, C.   4. Pearce, P.   5. Pearce, S.   6. Pearce, Raymond B.,   b. 8 Mar 1952, Flora, Clay County, Illinois d. 29 Nov 2004, Clay County, Illinois (Age 52 years)
  Family ID	F8701	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2023

  
  

• Notes

  Edwin Pearce, age 94, of Flora, Illinois, passed away on Saturday morning, April 25, 2015, at Heritage Woods in Flora. Edwin was born February 28, 1921 in Flora to Charles and Goldia (Dobbs) Pearce. He married Berniece Smith on October 22, 1950 in Vineland, NJ. She preceded him in death on May 27, 2009. Edwin proudly served his country as an U.S. Army Infantryman on the front lines in WWII, earning 3 purple hearts. Edwin traveled much of the United States as a pipeline welder and enjoyed raising cattle. Memberships included Flora VFW, American Legion, Flora Masonic Lodge, and was a 66 year member of Pipeliners Union 798 in Tulsa, OK. Edwin is survived by his children: Judy (Larry) Griffith of Mt. Erie, Walterene Pearce of Xenia, Chuck (Martha) Pearce of Flora, Phil (Janet) Pearce of New Smyrna Beach, FL, and Shirley (Mike) Bily of Urbana; a brother: Bill (Joan) Pearce of Flora; 23 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, a son: Raymond Pearce, five brothers: Norman, Kenneth, Richard Pearce, twin infant brothers, one sister: Vivian Fitzgerald, and three great-grandchildren. A funeral service for Edwin Pearce was held at Frank & Bright Funeral Home, Flora. Interment was in Kneff Cemetery, Flora, with military honors. Memorial donations to Clay County Hospice or Clay County Animal Rescue and Shelter (CCARS).

  
  

• Sources

  [S5231] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr., (http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=145551371), none. (Reliability: 2). [S2542] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Stanford Township, Clay County, Illinois, (District 13-20), image 16, page 8a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00480?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 2). [S365] Ancestry.com, 1930; Census Place: Stanford Township (District 18), Clay County, Illinois, (http://www.ancestry.com), Page 1a, none. (Reliability: 2). [S5053] World War II Honoree, Charles Edwin Pearce, Jr., (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=595927) (Reliability: 2). [S5232] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Pearce, Charles Edwin Jr., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/145551371/charles-edwin-pearce), none. (Reliability: 2). [S4592] Obituary, Lynn, Mabel Louise, 81, none. (Reliability: 2).