Bessie Sales Piercy

ASHEVILLE - BESSIE SALES PIERCY, 72, OF 26 SEVIER STREET DIED WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2001 AT HER HOME FOLLOWING AN EXTENDED ILLNESS. A NATIVE AND RESIDENT MOST OF HER LIFE OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY. MRS. PIERCY RETIRED FEBRUARY 24, 1978 FROM THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC CENTER AFTER 35 YEARS OF SERVICE AND AT THE TIME OF HER RETIREMENT WAS A KEY PUNCH OPERATOR. SHE WAS A MEMBER OF FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH AND AN AVID GARDNER GROWING MANY VARITIES OF ROSES OF WHICH SHE LOVED. SHE WAS A DAUGHTER OF THE LATE GEORGE ALVIN AND DORA MAE CHANDLER SALES; WIFE OF ROBERT RAY PIERCY WHO DIED IN 1961 AND WAS ALSO PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER SISTERS, VIRGINIA POWLAS AND MARY ALICE SALES AND BROTHERS, ROBERT AND ARTHUR SALES. SURVIVING ARE HER SONS, LEON CLIFTON PIERCY AND WIFE, CATHY JEAN OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO AND ROYCE LEE PIERCY AND WIFE, DEBBIE OF FAIRVIEW; SISTERS, CATHERINE MILLER JACKSON AND GEORGIA BOONE BOTH OF FAIRVIEW; BROTHER, MARSHALL E. SALES OF THE HOME; SISTERS IN LAW, CHLOE SALES OF FAIRVIEW AND MAVELINE SALES OF BURNSVILLE; GRANDCHILDREN, DAVID PIERCY, ANGELA SMIDDY AND CHRIS CARNEAL; FOUR GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, A NUMBER OF NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS AND A HOST OF MANY FRIENDS WHO WILL MISS HER VERY MUCH. FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT 2 P.M. SUNDAY IN THE CHAPEL OF ANDERS-RICE FUNERAL HOME WITH THE REVS KEITH WATKINS, G.A. McCURRY AND STEVE BROCKWELL OFFICIATING. BURIAL WILL BE IN ASHELAWN GARDENS OF MEMORY. THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE FRIENDS 7 TO 9 P.M. SATURDAY AT THE FUNERAL HOME AND AT OTHER TIMES THE FAMILY WILL BE AT THE HOME. A SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. HARRY H. SUMMERLIN AND DR. JOHN LAWRENCE, JR. AND THEIR STAFFS FOR ALL THEIR HELP OVER THE PAST YEARS.