Darel "Butch" Benjamin Pearce

Darel “Butch” Benjamin Pearce was born on January 3, 1936 in Spokane, WA to Benjamin and Twylah (Giem) Pearce. Butch grew up in Spokane, Washington and attended school there. During his high school years he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served duty in Hawaii, Japan and California.  After being honorably discharged, Butch stayed in California where he worked as a machinist. In 1969 he moved to Oregon where he established work at Amax which became Phillips later on and continued there until his retirement around 2000. After retirement Butch did not slow down. In fact his life probably became busier with all the activities he was involved with. As a veteran he was a member of the Stayton VFW, Elks Lodge and was a member of the Albany Gun Club as he enjoyed shooting sports. Throughout his life he typically had a motorcycle and a boat which he actively enjoyed fishing. Eventually he would begin to RV around the country and snow bird in Arizona, this is where he met Marcia. He also belonged to the Cascade Campers where he met many other couples who enjoyed traveling. Butch was also an avid square dancer who earned his masters in square dancing. During the summer Butch liked going to garage sales on Fridays. There was never a wasted moment throughout Butch’s life, he enjoyed keeping active and busy. He also liked to tell jokes and keep things lighthearted. He made several friends throughout the years with his many affiliations as he was truly a good friend and people person. On January 8, 2020, Butch passed away peacefully in Sublimity, Oregon at age 84. He was predeceased by his wife Idella and survived by his partner of 17 years Marcia Lamprecht; children, Kathy Pearce Sturgill, Scott Pearce and Robyn Pearce; grandchildren, Jake Pearce, Jessica Pearce and Jalisa Pearce in addition to 3 grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 11am in Weddle Funeral Service with military honors. Private inurnment will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.