Pearce Saunders passed away peacefully at the U.S.Memorial Health Center, St. Lawrence on September 2, 2023 at the age of 87. He would always get upset when someone asked him his age and would say he was 39, now we have let the cat out of the bag. He will be missed by his sons Keith (Trudy) and Colin (Cindy), daughter Stacey (Greg) and grandchildren Kenneth, Anne, Peter, Ellen, Samuel and Sophia.  He also leaves behind brothers Leo, Herb and Sam.  He was predeceased by his wife Elizabeth (Brothers), brother Michael, and parents Sam and Ellen(Dwyer).

Pearce was born the middle child of 5 boys to Sam and Ellen in Cape Cove on Fogo Island. When he was a young boy the family moved to Norris Arm where Pearce spent most of his life and raised a family with Elizabeth. He attended school in Stephenville  to do upgrading when his boys were quite young. He always said he was good at Spelling but would only get 12% in Math. He would often speak fondly of his days at the University of Minnesota. (Where he came up with that we will never know.) He was proud of our accomplishments and always encouraged us to go to school. He was not offended when Carmel Hart would say to him that we were "smart like the Brothers."

He became a heavy equipment operator and worked on many roads in the province. When Elizabeth passed away he ran Saunders Convenience. A good business man he was not, but oh the funny stories from "the store." If you shopped there you will remember that he would always ask  if you wanted "the rest in candy" and then swiftly sweep all the change from the counter on to the floor and throw a handful of candy in the bag without counting them . There was one customer in particular who would hang out at "the store" night after night after night and not really buy anything. Eventually he told her that if she wanted to look at him he would give her a picture and she could bring it home and look at him all night. She promptly told him where to go and how to get there.

Pearce was known for his love of food and his ferocious appetite for rough Newfoundland grub. He was not too pleased one year when Elizabeth went on her annual holiday to Carbonear and Colin and Cathy Ezekiel cooked for him and "f'ed up the tongues". At Hibernia, where he worked as a crane operator, legend has it that he would ask the servers to pile the food on the tray, instead of the plate, and one night broke off a fork as he was eating his supper. He was not too concerned about table manners but enjoyed every mouthful. Late in his dementia he complained one day that his pea soup didn't have enough salt beef and then asked one of the other residents if he was "optimistic about the dough boys." When the resident, who also had dementia didn't reply, Dad said, "You look like a pessimist." LOL!

He was known for his quick wit and humour and use of a lot of big words. There are so many quotes. It is impossible to mention them all but here are a few.  "Are you disgruntled?" "That never ceases to amaze me!" "That behooves me." " Don't be spooky." "Watch your bobber." "Are you smokin' that stuff Joe?" "Do you have any wacky backy?" "Did you see the wild bologna? He has 3 legs on one side and 6 on the other?" "I'm nonchalant." "Are you perturbed?" "Not necessarily." "That remains to be seen." "I'm being chauffeur driven." "Proud as a peacock". He liked to "moose" everyone. He often had a piece of moss in his pocket that he would use to make "a handlebar moustache". He liked to give "shavers". Dementia is a cruel thief and it stole a lot from Dad. Thankfully it did not take away his wonderful sense of humour which stayed with him right up until his last days.

Pearce remained quite active and cut his own wood up in to his 80's. Unfortunately he developed dementia. He spent the last few years of his life at the Marystown Retirement Center and the U.S. Memorial Health Center in St Lawrence where he received the BEST of care . We will be eternally grateful to all of the staff at both of these facilities for becoming his family and for taking care of him. We could not have asked for better.

And so we are sad that he is gone but we hope he is at peace. We will remember him fondly and continue to use his quotes. We are sure that if you knew him, you will smile or laugh when you think of him. What a wonderful legacy to have. Dad, we hope that you are with Mom and that there is lots of wood to cut, lots of salt beef to eat and that you are smokin' that stuff. Don't be spooky babe. XO

Cremation has taken place. Funeral service will be held in Norris Arm South at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on September 6, 2023 at  2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers we ask that if you feel like giving, Dad would be happy for you to make a donation to the Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor. https://lionelkellandhospice.ca/donations/