Mary Jo Pierce, 80, passed away in her home in Springfield, Mo., with her family and caretakers by her side on Friday evening, July 20, 2007. She was a former resident of Parsons, Kan., and Erie, Kan. She lived a life of service to her family, her community and her profession. She was born on August 24, 1926, in Parsons, Kan., to Ralph A. and Cynthia Almeda (May) Cottey. She attended schools in Parsons, graduating from Parsons High School and Parsons Junior College. She married James B. Pierce on May 27, 1954, in the First Christian Church in Erie, Kan., by the Rev. A. W. Swanson. They had one daughter, Pamela Jo, who was born on September 28, 1956. Together, they operated the Pierce Funeral Home in Erie from 1948 to 1986, when they retired. She assisted her husband, a licensed funeral director. During the early years they operated the only ambulance service available to area residents and routinely answered emergency calls at all times of the day and night. She is survived by her daughter Dr. Pamela Jo Pierce-Whitehead; her son-in-law Dr. Alwyn S. Whitehead Jr;. and a grandson, John Pierce Cummins, all of Springfield, Mo. She is also survived by a cousin, Cecelia Gilmore of Parsons, Kan., and a nephew, Lewis May, of Tulsa, Okla. The Pierces moved to Springfield, Mo., in 2003 where they were able to spend their remaining years close to their closest family members. She was a member of the International Tea Leaf Club and the First Christian Church of Erie, Kan. She attended the Christ Unity Church in Springfield, Mo. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Pierce-Carson-Wall Funeral Home in Erie, Kan., and burial will be in the East Hill Cemetery at Erie. The family will receive friends in the funeral home from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. In lieu of other remembrances, memorials may be made to Healthcare Empowerment, a foundation that supports persons with long-term health issues or ECaP (Exceptional Cancer Patients Group). Memorials may be sent to the Pierce-Carson-Wall Funeral Home, P.O. Box 182, Erie, KS 66733.