Patricia Wallace, office manager
ROCKLAND -- Amid the flower beds that surrounded Patricia Wallace's house, there was one that stood out. ''Roses were her favorite, pink roses," said her daughter, Cheryl-Ann Ring of Coventry, R.I.
Mrs. Wallace, who shared her love and knowledge of gardening with her family and friends, died Feb. 6 at her home in Rockland from pancreatic cancer. She was 65.
Mrs. Wallace was born in Boston and raised in Dorchester, and graduated from Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School in 1958. She married William J. Wallace in 1960, and the family moved to Rockland in 1971.
Mrs. Wallace ran the office of her husband's woodcarving and sign-making business, Wallace Enterprises, out of their home in Rockland.
''She used to help him with the books and organized the office for him. That wasn't exactly his forte," said her daughter.
A member of the Rockland Art Association, Mrs. Wallace painted watercolors and oils but eventually began woodcarving with the help of her husband, who taught her how to use the band saw. Calling them Pat's Crafts, Mrs. Wallace would give her Christmas ornaments and garden decorations as gifts to family members.
Mrs. Wallace, who came from a big family, maintained this connection from her kitchen table.
''The big kitchen table was my mom's domain. She had the biggest kitchen table anybody had ever seen. It was just so huge and everyone was welcome," said her daughter.
The table, which could seat 15, was where Mrs. Wallace would serve her Italian meatballs. ''When you were at a family event . . . the kids were all around her. She would always listen to them, and talk to them, and encourage them," said her daughter.
In addition to Cheryl-Ann, Mrs. Wallace leaves another daughter, Denise of Rockland; her husband, William J. Wallace; two sons, Christopher of Los Angeles and Kevin of Brockton; one brother, John Cardile of Celebration, Fla.; six sisters, Margaret Miller of Burlington, Nicki Scully of Celebration, Barbara Maitland of Plymouth, Mary Lewis of South Boston, Gloria Burke of Weymouth, and Annette Cardile of Quincy; and one granddaughter.
A Mass was said Feb. 10 at Holy Family Church in Rockland.
Mary Pierce, 83; was a foster mom
HANOVER -- Mary (Graff) Pierce, a homemaker, died Feb. 11 at Norwell Knoll Nursing Home in Norwell. She was 83.
Mrs. Pierce was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, attended the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn. She worked as a reservation agent for TWA in the 1940s. After marrying, she stayed at home to raise her family.
While her husband, Russell Pierce, was earning his doctorate at Columbia University, the couple had to come up with creative ways to earn money, so they raised tropical fish, said her son, Richard Pierce of Hanover.
''They would take all the young kids on the subway to lower Manhattan and sell the fish at all the fish stores," he said. ''It would be just the two of them, the young kids, and the fish on the subway."
When the large family moved to West Virginia, their cramped four-room house needed some expansion, and Mrs. Pierce and her husband added nine rooms.
''He would lay out the framing before he went to work. She would spend the day nailing the framing together. When he got home, they would jack the walls up in place and prepare for the next day," said Richard.
Moving to Hanover in the late 1960s, Mrs. Pierce worked as an executive secretary at Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center in Hanover. It was during her time at Cardinal Cushing that Mrs. Pierce found a way to give back to her community.
''She took on a number of what you would call foster kids, both through Cardinal Cushing and DSS. They were all special-needs cases," said Richard.
The children, mostly in their middle to late teens, would stay in Mrs. Pierce's home for a few months. ''She did want to help people, and this was the best way she could come up with to do that," said her son.
Mrs. Pierce was also a volunteer for St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church in Hanover.
Her husband died in 1999.
In addition to Richard, Mrs. Pierce leaves two other sons, Bruce of Hurst, Texas, and Johnathan of Hanson; two daughters, Karin of Fort Myers, Fla., and Mary Peckham of Halifax; 15 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
A Mass was said Thursday in St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church in Hanover. Burial was in Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
Compiled by Amanda Carswell 