Funeral services for Madeline Jeanne Pierce, 76, of Portales, will be conducted at 10:00 A.M., Thurs., Dec. 29, 2016 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel with Cameron Ridenour officiating. Mrs. Pierce will be interred in her family plot in Westby, WI at a later time. All of her family members and friends will serve as honorary pallbearers. The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Wed., Dec. 28, from 5 to 8 PM.
Madeline Jeanne Pierce, known to most as Jeanne, was born Oct. 4, 1940 in La Crosse, WI to the home of Magdalene (Hagen) and Orville Traastad and died the morning of Dec. 25, 2016 in Portales, NM. Jeanne grew up in Westby, WI, and graduated from high school in Westby in 1958. While in high school she was active in 4-H and showed cattle. She also played the French Horn, piano, and organ. After her graduation, Jeanne went on to earn a degree in history from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
She began her graduate studies at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1962, in the Jane Adams School of Social Work. During her first semester at graduate school, she met Robert Pierce, another graduate student. After completing her Masters in Social Work, they were married in Westby, WI on June 27, 1964. Jeanne began working for the Dept. of Mental Health in Illinois. In the late 1960’s they moved to Gainesville, FL, where she also worked for the Florida Dept. of Social Services.
They moved to Portales in 1982, and for several years Jeanne was a fulltime mother and homemaker. In addition, she earned an MBA from E. N. M. U. In 1991, Jeanne again entered the work force, this time as a Disease Intervention Specialist for the Health Dept. She had been retired for the past several years.
Jeanne was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clovis. She enjoyed traveling, gardening, sewing, and baking. During the 1990’s, she was a pianist for several local churches including Trinity Lutheran Church in Clovis, the Kingswood Methodist Church in Clovis, and the First United Methodist Church in Portales.
She is survived by Dr. Robert W. Pierce, her husband of more than 52 years; a son and daughter-in-law, Robert D. and Lialee Pierce of Wisconsin Rapids, WI; a daughter and son-in-law, Joanna and Blake Crosby of Montgomery, TX; a granddaughter, Josephine Crosby; three brothers, Douglas Traastad of Westby, WI, Thore Traastad of Sparta, WI and Randall Traastad of Westby, WI; and a sister, Mary Wagner of Des Plaines, IL. She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Pauline Traastad.
