Vernon "Blackie" Pierce

Vernon H. “Blackie” Pierce, 87 of Gaylord, died on Monday morning, May 5, 2014 at Tendercare of Gaylord.

Born on December 24, 1926 in Yuba, Blackie was the son of Harvey and Margaret (DeMaliped) Pierce.

During World War II he joined the U.S. Navy, serving from 1943-1945.

Blackie was a builder, working with Gust Construction and later Pierce Construction. He will be remembered for the many commercial projects he was responsible for in Gaylord and the surrounding areas. Working brought Blackie great satisfaction. His strong work ethic led him to work well into his 70’s.

In 2005, he was preceded in death by his longtime companion, Marie Barker. Surviving is his son Lou Pierce of Gaylord, a daughter, Verna (Todd) Lee of Mio; three other children; many grand children and great grandchildren; and his sister, Betty (Marvin) Milliron of Thompsonville.

Blackie was preceded in death by his parents, two sons, a daughter, a brother and a sister.

The family will visit with friends from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 850 North Center Avenue. Funeral services will follow at 1:00 PM on Saturday with Rev. John Naile officiating. Military honors will be provided by Ralph Holewinski VFW Post #1518 and burial will be at Fairview Cemetery.

Those who wish are asked to consider memorial contributions to the charity of their choice.