Merle Farmer Pierce, widow of Reverend Rawls Pierce, passed on to Heaven on Saturday morning July 29, 2017.   She was the second daughter of Miriam McDuffie Farmer and Earnest Guy Farmer.  She was born on January 27, 1924 in the Extra Community of Ashley County Arkansas.  She was one of six siblings, one sister Violet Germany, and four brothers, Victor, Harold, John Alva, and Glynn.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Violet; three brothers, Victor, Harold and John Alva; her husband, Rawls Pierce and daughter, Sandra Kaye Pierce; four sisters-in-law, Jolene Farmer, Maxine Farmer, Alyce Farmer and Donna Pierce; three brothers-in-law, John Pierce, Jimmy Pierce and Thomas Pierce.

Mrs. Pierce started to school at Crossett Camp; transferred to Hamburg Schools in 3rd grade and then moved to Crossett in 1939 when the Crossett Paper Mill started up.  She graduated in 1942 from Crossett High School as Salutatorian.  She attended Ouachita Baptist College and received her BS degree from NLU.  She taught 1 year in Anderson, Missouri, 6 years in Morehouse Parish, 5 years in Eagle River, Alaska and 15 years in Morehouse Parish School. She taught Home Economics, Science and Computer Programming and retired from Morehouse Parish Schools in 1989.

Mrs. Pierce was married to Rawls Pierce, a U.S. Navy veteran, in 1943 and was married for 68 years until his death in 2011.  They had one daughter, Sandra Kaye, who died of a brain tumor when she was 12.  Rawls Pierce was an ordained Southern Baptist minister, a graduate of Ouachita Baptist College and New Orleans Baptist Seminary.  Merle was a faithful helpmate in all the churches he pastored: Chidester Baptist, New Hope Baptist in Jones, Louisiana, Anderson F.B.C. in Anderson Missouri, Greenacres Baptist in Bastrop, F.B.C in Eagle River Alaska, and Pine Grove Baptist in Bastrop.  They retired to Crossett in 1987 to their home church Mt. Olive, which had ordained Rawls in the 1950’s.  Merle commuted to Bastrop to teach until her retirement in 1989.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 31, 2017 at Mt. Olive Baptist Church.

Visitation will be held at the church from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. before the funeral.  Interment will be at Memorial Park, north of Bastrop, LA under the direction of Jones Funeral Home of Crossett, AR.  (www.jonesservice.com)

Memorial can be made to the Lottie Moon Mission Offering in care of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church 1533 Highway 52 N  Crossett,  Arkansas  71635

Pallbearers:Brian Farmer, Lane Kelley, James White, Tim Adair, Ronnie Rodgers,  Clyde Farmer 

Honorary pallbearers: Phillip Kelley