~ IN MEMORY ~
Del Lay Pierman, wife of DL
pilot Cmdr. David Pierman, USN Ret.
October 16, 1947 - February 15, 2022
We have just received this news…. the passing of Del
Lay Pierman, wife of retired Delta pilot Commander David Pierman, USN Ret. Captain Pierman joined Delta Air Lines 09-12-1988.
Del Lay is survived by her husband David and by her children and
grandchildren.
Obituary information is available online at
https://www.cochranfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Del-Lay-Pierman?obId=24027585#/celebrationWall
For those who may wish to send a personal note,
the family’s address is listed in whitepages as
130 Oakview Rd., Farner, TN 37333
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary : Del Lay Pierman, age 74, passed away
peacefully at her home in Turtletown, TN, on Tuesday morning, February 15th, completing a life of
joy, service, and love.
Del was born on October 16th, 1947, in Newton, MS,
to the late Lt. Col. Henry “Hank” Lay and Olivia “Lil” Lay. She found joy as a
child on the family’s dairy farm, surrounded by her family and the loving
community of Newton. While it remained their home base, though, her father’s
career as a United States Air Force pilot took them across the country and
around the world in her early years. She attended schools in FL, MS, TX, CA,
and Tokyo, Japan, before graduating from high school in Albany, GA. After graduation,
Del returned to Newton to help with the family cattle farm while studying and
earning a degree in Home Economics Education from the Mississippi State College
for Women.
Del taught many subjects, but she found the
greatest joy in giving young people the practical knowledge they needed to
navigate daily life, whether that meant budgeting their finances, shopping for
groceries, or even cooking a meal. Working with the University of West Florida,
she developed the curriculum for the state of Florida’s Life Management Skills
course, which became a requirement for every FL student before graduating. In
recognition of her dedication, she was named Florida Home Economist of the Year
in 1984.
Del was an artist, known for magnificent pieces of
stained glass. She sewed and created beautiful clothes and costumes for her
children and grandchildren, and for their friends, as well. She was an avid
gardener. Her yard was always filled with intricately designed flower beds,
plants, and trees. She also drew the plans for the home she and her husband
Dave built in Turtletown, filling it with imaginative touches like a shower
floor made of Hiawassee River stones, copper rain gutters as light fixtures,
and a pressed copper ceiling in her dining room.
Del was an athlete and found joy in competition.
As a young woman, she was a varsity high school basketball player and an
accomplished equestrian. As an adult, she coached baseball and cheered wildly
for the Atlanta Braves and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Del found joy in serving others. She was a
faithful Catholic and taught faith formation classes to countless children
while embracing the mission of Catholic Charity to provide service to those in
need, advocate for justice, and call on others of goodwill to do the same. She
put those principles into practice through her efforts with the Ecumenical
Outreach Committee at St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church.
Perhaps her greatest service was to the creatures
whose care God entrusted to us. She loved all animals, but her greatest love
was for dogs and many owed their lives to her. Upon retiring to Polk County,
TN, where there is no humane society, Dave and Del worked with Dr. William
Mitchell of the Copper Basin Vet Clinic to ensure that every stray dog was cared
for and found a home of its own. They rescued hundreds of dogs, including quite
a few that lived out their lives as Dave and Del’s pets.
Of the many ways and places Del found joy, though,
the greatest joy of her life was her family. As the wife of a Navy aviator who
traveled the world in defense of our country, Del was a single parent to their
children for long periods of time and she embraced that responsibility. In
addition to making sure that their daily needs were met, she also coached their
teams, led their Boy Scout troops, helped them with their homework, nursed
their wounds, and provided them with the strong foundation they needed for
their lives. Later in her life, she also found immense joy in her grandchildren
and fulfilled her YaYa duties by showering them with love and spoiling them
silly.
Del was preceded in death by her parents and is
survived by her husband of 51 years, Commander David Pierman, USN, Ret., her
children, Peter Pierman (Rindy) of Newton, Molly Wright (Jason) of Rowlett, TX,
Ben Pierman (Sherrell) of Smyrna, GA, her grandchildren, 2 Lt. Caleb Jones,
USA, and Kaylee Jones, Hank, Maisie, and Adellay Wright, Oliva and Thomas
Pierman, her sister, Laurel Mayes, numerous nieces and nephews and countless
friends whose lives she impacted.
Joy cometh in the morning, and on Tuesday morning
Del found her eternal joy. But not before finding, and providing, a lifetime’s
worth of joy while she was here with us.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, February
19th, at 11:30 a.m., at St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church in Copperhill,
TN. She will be interred at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in
Newton, MS.
Memorial Donations may be made in Del’s memory to
St. Catherine Labouré Divine Mercy charity, or your local humane society.
Arrangements entrusted to the Finch-Cochran
Funeral Home of McCaysville, GA, you may
send condolences to the family and sign the guest register at www.cochranfuneralhomes.com
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