Vital Vero health organizations – from the VNA to the Mental Health Association and numerous others – were in mourning last week over the sudden passing of Kathleen (Kathie) Pierce, 76, whose death left a great void in our community.
Pierce, who died Jan. 15, led a life filled with volunteerism and, with husband Michael and the Pierce family, philanthropy.
Known for her quiet fortitude, genuine compassion and an ever-present smile, Pierce was an effective leader, most notably through her involvement with the VNA & Hospice Foundation, joining the board in 2004 and becoming its chair in 2016.
For her efforts there, Pierce received the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Award at the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 2013 National Philanthropy Day ceremony.
Less known was her involvement in rescuing the Mental Health Association from the brink of disaster in 2012.
She played a key role in keeping the Mental Health Association alive after its management team and board lost the confidence and financial backing of all major funders, including the Hospital District.
“They were ready to shutter the doors. They weren’t going to meet payroll,” says Michael Pierce.
Kathie worked closely with Joe Smith, the new board’s chairman, to save the organization and keep it operational.
“Kathie miraculously raised enough money to get the payroll met so they could stabilize and get a new plan in place. It’s a quite a story. Joe said Kathie single-handedly made that happen.”
“She was the most unassuming, kind individual; dedicated and determined. It was never about herself. It was always about helping someone else or doing something that was right,” says Ann Marie McCrystal, a founding member of the VNA & Hospice Foundation.
“She has been a wonderful chair, very fair, very involved, very aware of the need and determined to meet the mission of VNA & Hospice. She was an incredible person, and that all stemmed from who she is.”
Kathie Pierce was instrumental in obtaining the initial $1 million donation to the VNA Hospice House Endowment, through the Leo and Peggy Pierce Family Foundation (Michael’s parents), on whose board she served. Hospice House had opened its doors in 2000 and needed an endowment to survive. Leo Pierce contributed the gift on behalf of Peggy, who had been under hospice care at home before passing away in 2001.
“She was incredible in moving that forward. It was Kathie that orchestrated that with the family.
She was very fond of her mother-in-law, and she felt very compelled to do this so that everyone could have that same level of care,” says McCrystal.
Kathie and Michael Pierce would make another substantial investment during a 2022 refurbishment of Hospice House, funding technology so that families could keep touch virtually.
“She had the courage of her convictions. If she took on a project, she was very dedicated to seeing the deed done. She spent a lot of time as a volunteer over at the office, signing letters, writing special notes to people, chairing the meetings and coming up with some wonderful thoughts about how things should proceed,” adds McCrystal.
“She was a strong woman and very much her own person. She was a giant among women and men. She just was an incredible, exceptional person. Someone that you’ll always remember in your lifetime because she was as beautiful inside as what she presented outside.”
According to Carol Kanarek, another longtime VNA and Hospice board member, Pierce served on numerous committees and was a member of the Plan Giving Active Counsel.
Kanarek says that when Kathie spoke to VNA volunteers at a 2012 luncheon, she related that after seeing first-hand how many lives had been positively impacted by the VNA, she felt obligated to raise funds so that same care would be available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
“She was absolutely devoted to the organization and truly selfless and giving. She was special, she was dedicated, she was selfless. She was a friend to everybody,” says Kanarek.
Members of the Senior Resource Association’s Silver Tones choral group, which the Pierce family has sponsored since its creation in 2007, regularly experienced that same commitment.
“Kathie never missed one performance in 15 years, and we do three a year. She would always sit in the front row of the First Presbyterian Church,” says Karen Deigl, SRA executive director, adding that after each concert, Kathie always got up to speak to the choir and the audience.
“They’re just so wonderful to the Senior Resource Association. This program would not be alive today were it not for them,” says Deigl. “There are just no words; we’re all just devastated.”
While Kathie couldn’t possibly serve on every organization’s board, she clearly impacted many nonprofits in one way or another, whether philanthropically or by providing ideas and input.
With organization after organization, Michael Pierce says, Kathie’s efforts stemmed from her belief in their services, which led to their contributing innumerable grants and campaign gifts.
“With United Against Poverty she was instrumental in getting the Pierce Family Foundation to provide an anchor gift to complete their capital campaign,” says Pierce, referencing the purchase and retrofitting of the UP Center.
“It’s just incredible; there’s just a lot of little stories with Kathie. There are all these little touches and so many things she did that people may not be aware of,” says Pierce. “She was just special.”
As John’s Island residents, the couple are members of the John’s Island Foundation Leadership Circle, and Kathie was an active participant in the John’s Island Community Service League.
She was an original member of Impact 100, and they were among the initial group of 16 Riverside Theatre Patron Producers.
In 2016, Kathie Pierce told VNA donors, “When you look at Vero as a whole, I think it’s one of the best towns for helping people.”
And it is because of people like her.
“Where there is a need, there is always a Kathie Pierce,” says McCrystal.