Phil Pierce passed away on May 9th, 2026, peacefully in his sleep.

Phil grew up in Winthrop Harbor, IL. He pursued his teaching degree at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and became a teacher at Zion Benton High School in Zion, IL, where he taught math for over three decades. During that time he also obtained his Master’s degree at University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, working on cars, building houses, gardening, rock hounding, and enjoying good seafood. His pride and joy was his ’69 Chevelle (and also his two daughters). He met his wife Kathy, while recovering from a heart attack at Victory Memorial Hospital, and fell in love after being a confirmed bachelor for 40 years. Eight months later, they were married in August 1988. They started their family in Kenosha, WI, with daughters Stephanie and Michelle. Phil retired in 2003, with a brief return to teaching to teach Michelle’s 8th grade class before retiring for good. Kathy joined Phil in retirement in 2015.

Phil was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017 and had a stem cell transplant in 2018. Phil was then diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2020 and had another transplant in 2021.

Thanks to a generous bone marrow donor he was able to live 5 more years. Phil eagerly welcomed his first grandson, James, in 2023, second grandson, Arthur, in 2025, and third grandson, Ellis, in 2025. Since he won’t be able to show the boys the best fishing spots, he assembled a tackle box for each of them to help them catch those fish.

Phil is survived by his wife, Kathy; his sister, Carol (Garry) Church; his daughters, Stephanie (Blu) Pierce and Michelle (Wes) Williams; grandsons: James, Arthur, and Ellis; and several nieces and nephews. Phil was preceded in death by his father, Arthur Pierce; mother, Irene Bailor Pierce; and niece, Julie Church Murray. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Gift of Life Transplant House at Mayo Clinic.