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Robert B. Pierce

Robert Bently Pierce, 94, formerly of Saratoga, died Sept. 3 following a short illness.

Pierce was born in San Jose in 1912, the grandson of California pioneers. His grandfather walked with his family to California in 1849, and his grandmother was born in a covered wagon "somewhere in the Utah desert" in 1852.

Pierce was raised in the Sacramento Valley and moved with his family to Southern California when his father, who worked for Standard Oil, was transferred. After attending junior college near his home, he transferred to UC-Berkeley, graduating in 1934.

During World War II, Pierce worked for North American manufacturing the B-25s and P-51s that were being built in great numbers in Southern California. Using the skills he learned at North American, he went to Brazil at the end of the war with an American company that was training Brazilian pilots and technicians. It was there that he met his future wife, Marjorie, also a transplanted Southern Californian.

After several years in Brazil, the couple returned to the United States in 1948. They began a new business handling insurance claims, and started a family. They moved to Saratoga in 1955, where Pierce was active in the incorporation of the city in 1956. He was also active in Sacred Heart Church and an enthusiastic golfer, belonging to the San Jose Country Club for many years.

Following his retirement, Pierce remained active, acting as a photographer for Marjorie and her column, "People Watching," which she wrote for the San Jose Mercury News for many years. He attended hundreds of social functions with his wife, meeting movie stars, politicians and the movers and shakers of the Silicon Valley.

In their final years, Pierce and his wife enjoyed traveling and seeing their friends and family. They sold their home in Saratoga in 1996 and moved to the Forum in Cupertino.

Pierce is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Marcy Pierce of Monte Sereno; and his granddaughters, Courtney Frager and Sydney Pierce. His wife of 57 years, Marjorie Pierce, died previously, as did his son, Robert Pierce, who died as an infant, and his daughter, Roberta Ann Pierce. A memorial service was held Sept. 9 at Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.