Theresa Lynn Pearce

 Theresa Lynn (Dodge) Pearce 

 Born May 24th 1956 passed peacefully on November 3rd 2024 surrounded by candlelight and her loved ones in reverence, prayer, devotion, and music. 

 She leaves behind a strong foundation and legacy of Unconditional Love in her wake along with her husband of 44 years Calvin Vern Pearce, her children; Jeremy Keith Stout, Gabriel Benjamin Stout, Nicole Lynn and (Corey Alan) Badgley, Adam Vern Pearce, Isaiah Stephen Pearce, and Ezekiel Anthony and (Savannah Nicole) Pearce. As well as her beloved grandchildren Hayley, Austin, Caiden, Elijah, Oradel, Jun, Eden, Trillian, Pearl, Arabella, Haven, Olyver, Talan, and Esmay and precious great grandchildren; Isen, Greyson, Luna, Sequoia, and Atlas. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Keith and Helen Dodge, mother and father in-law, Vern and Hazel Pearce, step-daughter, Kristi Pearce, brothers, Bill and Steve Dodge, and nephew, Daniel Dodge. 

 Home is a feeling of safety and belonging. A place you can sink deeply into like the roots of an Ancient tree. A place of beauty and connection. Home is where you go to get nurtured and fed both spiritually and physically. Theresa and her husband built and sustained this legacy with their perseverance and strength through their dedication to family and Christ. Theresa gifted the children of this world, hers and many others, with the unwavering safety and beauty of Home. Her legacy lives on within the innocence of all the children’s hearts and Souls. Her life was lived by way of devotion. She lived as an Earth Angel to many. She is beyond loved and will forever be deeply missed. — Nicole 

 Theresa Pearce... Mom... was the beacon of light that lit up our world, guiding every soul she touched toward peace and warmth. Her presence turned the simplest moments into radiant memories, making the brightest days even more brilliant with a joy that was truly contagious. Her spirit was pure and unfathomably kind, and her laughter.... was a melody that echoed in our hearts and will forever remind us of her playful spirit. She was the perfect blend of strength and tenderness, a woman who encouraged far fetched dreams and believed in the best in everyone. Her love, her laughter, and her unwavering encouragement will forever be etched in our memories and cherished in our hearts. In her love, we found peace; in her memory we find strength. — Ezekiel 

 A Memorial Service will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes - Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, MI, at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 1:00 P.M. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Calvin Pearce for medical expenses. Online condolences can be sent to www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com. The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes - Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, Michigan.

 Chosen by her beloved husband Calvin

 Proverbs 1:33

“Whoever listens to me will be in safety and be at ease without fear or harm. If you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry out loud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the lord and find the knowledge of God. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your Soul.”

 Proverbs 3:17

“Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. She is the tree of life to those who embrace her. Those who lay hold of her will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the Earth’s foundations. By understanding he set the Heavens in place. By his knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew.”

 Philippians 4:6-7 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.” 

When Great Trees Fall

by Maya Angelou

When great trees fall in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

 eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes 

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.

Our eyes, briefly, 

see with 

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened, 

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.

Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed 

and informed by their

radiance,

fall away.

We are not so much maddened 

as reduced to the unutterable 

ignorance of 

dark, cold

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always 

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of 

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

― Maya Angelou

 “Thank Jesus for your day” — Theresa Lynn Pearce