Our "Gerry"

... a loving wife and mother, left to meet her husband Donald, who preceded her in death on April 9, 2020, in the afterlife August 15th, 2020. She married Donald in December 1955 after meeting him in the drop/add line at the University of Wyoming seven months earlier. Gerry’s parents, Ralph and Anna Backman, and sister Delores welcomed her to their family on January 1, 1936. She was born near Torrington, Wyoming on the family farm. She graduated from Huntley High School, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming, and a master’s degree in Music from the University of Arizona (1969). Her master’s degree and additional education, certifications, and endorsements were attained while raising a very dynamic family of six children. Sadly, Don and Gerry lost their fifth child, Max Edward Pierson born (November 1968) in September of 1971.

Family was extremely important to Don and Gerry. Family vacations, singing at the piano in the evenings at home, playing board games; all provided strong ties and healthy competition with each other. We share memories of family trips mom reading books, which included the classics, and car spelling bees. These car spelling bees resulted in Roxanne (the oldest) becoming district spelling bee champion for two consecutive years. Encouraging these types of educational pursuits and being the best provided the platform for all of their children to be successful adults. Their children and most of their grandchildren have earned bachelor’s degrees with encouragement and assistance from Don and Gerry. Several children and grandchildren have continued their education to complete advanced degrees and additional certifications.

Due to Gerry’s encouragement, all of her children have a deep love for music and theater. All have learned to play musical instruments. Most have acted in musical theater productions. Chris, the youngest, has followed Gerry into a music career by attaining an advanced degree in music, and continues the family legacy of educating in music and other disciplines as his career choice.

Similarly, Gerry’s parents encouraged her love of music. She and her sister were given opportunities for education in music by the sale of eggs from the family farm to support her and her sister’s piano lessons. As a result, she not only taught music in public schools, but provided private piano lessons throughout her life. Many of her students reached out after their education with Gerry to share their accomplishments or ask for advice throughout the years. The Arizona Music Education Association recognized Gerry as their Outstanding Music Educator by inducting her into their hall of fame in 1996. She enjoyed life to the fullest and was respected by all who knew her. She was an active member of all the churches she attended in her life and had a deep and abiding faith. She shared her love of music as part of her faith as well. She was the organist and children’s choir director at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Bisbee, AZ for many years and at her current church, St Andrews Presbyterian, she sang in the choir for 46 years.

Her devotion, leadership, and desire to serve spilled into her professional life. She served as a leader in many of her professional organizations: Delta Kappa Gamma (serving as president as well as attending several national conventions), Tucson and Pima County Teacher’s Associations, and the Democratic Party (providing her the honor of meeting former President Bill Clinton).

Gerry, a lifelong educator, taught at ten schools. These include: Glendale School district (3 schools) – music, Cochise Elementary-PE, Bisbee School District (2 schools and a roving position at all elementary and Junior High Schools)-music, Naco Elementary-music, Flowing Wells High School, Amphitheater High School, and TUSD Howenstine High School(music & computer skills). During her tenure at Howenstine, she was innovative and developed all of her own materials to enhance learning for her special education students.

Gerry will be remembered as a person of incredible work ethic, leadership, charisma, creativity, and musicianship. She leaves a lasting legacy and will be sorely missed by the lives she touched: her students, her colleagues, her fellow musicians, and her family. She leaves behind her loving family: her sister Delores (Larre) Eschliman, sisters-in-law Marilyn Tullis and Sandy Hidenrick, brother-in-law Jack Pierson (1944-2016), grandchildren Nannette Pierson, Sean & Bryan Davis, Nicholas & Kyle Alaniz, and Artemis Pierson and great granddaughters Dorothy Weixelman and Elizabeth & Charlotte Davis. Gerry’s children will be ever grateful have had her as a mother: Roxanne (Tom) Peterson, Donnine (Robert) Davis, Bryan Pierson, Tuesday (Paul) Alaniz, and Chris (Emily) Pierson.

Attendance is limited at her graveside service August 29, 2020 (10 am MST) due to Covid 19 but can be attended via Zoom online. All are welcome (with restrictions) to her visitation August 28, 2020 (4 pm to 8 pm MST) at Evergreen Mortuary 3015 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705 ~ Chapel. Details for both services, any future events to celebrate her life, and family preferences for memoriams can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/piersonfamily/home.