Neila N. Pearce

Neila Nanette (Mast) Pearce, 90, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother of rural Neodesha, KS, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

She was born in Winfield, KS, on December 19, 1934, the second of three children to Lester Casius Mast and Mary Majorie (Lowry) Mast. Her family lived on oil leases is KS and OK until 1952. When Neila was in the second grade, she was a baton twirler in the Oxford, KS high school band. She graduated valedictorian from Coyle High School, in Coyle, OK on May 18, 1952 with a perfect attendance and all A's. Her high school activities included band, 4-H state meat judging team, basketball, and sewing (making all her clothing). She met her future husband, Robert Edward Pearce at a fourth of July gathering in Perkins, OK in 1951. She enrolled at Oklahoma A&M College (Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, OK on June 4, 1952, majoring in Home Economic Nutrition and in the fall was inducted into the Freshman Honor Society. Neila and Robert were married in Robert's sister's house with several friends present on December 19, 1952; she was 18 and Robert was 21. They lived with Robert's parents until Robert finished his degree in May 1954. They were active in the First Christian Church Disciples of Christ.

Neila lived throughout OK, TX, and NM, having seven children, attending college, and working as a librarian. First daughter Sheryl Ann (Pearce) McCoy was born in 1954 in Stillwater, OK. Second daughter Valerie Lanette Pearce was born in 1956 in Norman, OK. Third daughter Bobbie Rochelle (Pearce) Staton was born in 1958 in Morton, TX. Fourth daughter Kimberly Renee (Pearce) Quinlan was born in Roswell, NM. In the fall of 1961, Kimberly was diagnosed with a major heart problem, Tetralogy of the Fallot. Later Kim had open heart surgery in the summer of 1966 at the Minnesota Mayo Clinic. Fifth daughter Robin Allane (Pearce) Mesecher, was born in Stillwater, OK in 1964. Neila received her BS degree in Library Science in May of 1966. Twins, and only son, Robert Neil Pearce and sixth daughter Julie Kay Pearce were born in Lubbock, TX.

The family lived in Hobbs, NM for seven years before moving to Cherryvale, KS in 1973. In Cherryvale, Neila worked as the Head Start Teacher for two years before she worked as the Middle School and Elementary Librarian/Media Specialist from 1975 until she retired in 1997. Neila finished her Masters and Ed Specialist degrees at Pittsburg State University.

During her years at Cherryvale, she was active in many activities: Photography club with yearly photography field trips to many historical places such as old unusual barns, mansions, many times to Glencliff Farm, and museums in southeast Kansas area; Library and Science Clubs with yearly field trips to Pittsburg State University plantarum, and yearly field trips to Emporia State University for the William Allen White Children's Book Awards; Also, biannual field trips with the Kansas Earth Science Teachers Association and several fossil hunting field trips with the Kansas Teachers Geology Association. She was sponsor for the Scholars Bowl. Neila was a member of various clubs and societies including International Order of Rainbow for Girls in high school, Beta Sigma Phi since 1960, and AAUW (American Association of University Women) since the early 1970s.

Neila lived with Robert on a farm south of Neodesha, Kansas for 43 years in the home they built. As partners, they raised a small herd of purebred Gelbvieh cattle and large gardens/yard work. She had many "hobby changes" throughout her life. The first part of her married life her hobbies were raising children, sewing the family clothes with the help of her daughters, and going to college. In the late 1970s to the late 1980s, Neila and Robert's hobbies were weekly auctions buying collectables. During that time she started crocheting while sitting at auctions making all her children and grandchildren afghans, scarves, and etc. Her hobbies also included reading anything she got her hands on, flower gardening, fossil hunting, and taking her grandkids on her hobby adventures. The last few years, she enjoyed playing computer mystery games, going somewhere with Robert every day, and on weekends she always got a double dip of chocolate mint ice cream. Neila would go on adventures with Robert, her best friend, and husband of 72 years, throughout the middle section of the United States sightseeing, collecting fossils, and visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder Homes.

She was preceded in death by her parents Lester Casius Mast and Mary Marjorie (Lowry) Mast (Perkins, OK), two brothers Charles "Wayne" Mast (Bartlesville, OK) and Gary Corbin Mast (Broken Arrow, OK), two daughters Sheryl A. (Pearce) McCoy (Erie, KS) and Kimberly R. (Pearce) Quinlan (Grantville, KS).

She is survived by husband Robert E. Pearce and son Robert N. Pearce of the home in rural Neodesha, KS, four daughters Valerie L. Pearce and Bobbie R. (Pearce) Staton (Independence, KS), Robin A. (Pearce) Mesecher (Newton, KS), and Julie K. Pearce (Topeka, KS), 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, two cats, and one dog.

She will be buried with other Pearce family members at the Flynn aka Soonerville Cemetery in Lincoln County, OK, west of Cushing, OK.