Dorothy Louise Pierce (Moorehead), born in 1941 in Pennsylvania to Andrew S. and Margaret E. Moorehead, lived a life marked by education, service, family, and community involvement.
A dedicated lifelong learner, she graduated from Palisade High School in Palisade, Colorado, in 1959, earned her Bachelor of Arts from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, in 1963, and later received her Master of Arts from the University of Central Missouri in 1994.
She devoted her career to elementary education, teaching in Kansas, New York, Maryland, and Missouri. She spent twenty-one years teaching at Appleton City Elementary School, where she touched the lives of many students and families.
She married Dr. Robert Phillips in 1964; the marriage later ended in divorce. In 1988, she married Joe Pierce, with whom she shared her life until his passing in 2012.
She was the beloved mother of Scott Phillips and life partner, Elizabeth Ferry of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Sarah Phillips of Appleton City, Missouri. She was also stepmother to Darryl Pierce and Sandra Greufe of Appleton City; step grandmother to Jessie Snyder, Megan Davila and her husband Jeremy of Kansas City, and Seth Greufe of Appleton City; and step-great-grandmother to Lucus, Micah and Charlotte Gifford of Clinton, Missouri and Harper, Ryle and Nora Davila of Kansas City, Missouri. She is also survived by her sisters, Marcia Finke and family of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Mary Roberts and family of Midland, Michigan.
A faithful and active member of Appleton City Trinity United Methodist Church, she gave generously of her time and talents. She was involved with Jr. Achievers, GFWC, and the Missouri Retired Teachers Association. She also served on the Appleton City Library Board, the Appleton City Landmarks Restoration Museum Board, and as Trinity Methodist Historian.
Her life reflected a deep commitment to education, family, family, and community. She will be remembered with gratitude by those who knew and loved her.
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