Ira Whitener Pearce

He was born in Durham, NC on October 14, 1930, to the late George Ira Pearce and Sadie Whitener Pearce. He was predeceased by his brothers, Reverend H. Worth Pearce of Hickory, NC and Marion E. Pearce of Lexington, NC.

Ira is survived by his beloved and devoted wife, Dr. Mary Buxton Pearce, who was also his best friend and companion. Also surviving are his son, Gerald David Pearce, and wife Lisa Jordan Pearce of Charlotte; daughter, Lisa Pearce Talley, and husband Mark Talley of Matthews; granddaughter, Hannah Soto and husband Jesse Soto of Matthews; grandson, Nolan Talley of Greenville, SC; and great grandchildren, Brayden, Cameran, and Holden Soto, also of Matthews.

Ira attended public schools in North Carolina and Tennessee after which he served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific and Far East areas before and during the Korean War from 1948 through 1952.

After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he attended North Carolina State College to study civil engineering and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. During college he was elected to the Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi honorary societies. Following graduation, Ira was employed by Duke Power Company as a Senior Engineer in its Engineering Department (later called Design Engineering Department) where he remained until retirement as Principal Engineer in 1989. During his career he performed and directed civil engineering design work on Duke’s fossil, nuclear and hydroelectric generating plant projects.

Ira was a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina and remained active following retirement having served as the appointed member of Mecklenburg County’s Engineer and Surveyor Selection Committee for 13 years. He has continued to actively serve on technical committees of the American Concrete Institute and remained active in other engineering organizations. He was a Life Member of the North Carolina Society of Engineers, a Fellow Member of the American Concrete Institute, and an Honorary Life Member of the American Nuclear Society.

Ira was a member of St. Stephen United Methodist Church and the Focus on Scripture Sunday School Class. Family, friends, church, and his profession were always important to Ira’s life. He enjoyed classical music, history, yard work and other projects. After his retirement, Ira and Mary were privileged to travel together extensively in the U.S. and to over 30 countries outside the U.S. In 2015 Ira celebrated his 85th birthday in Rome, Italy.

A service to celebrate Ira’s faith and life will be held at 11:00 am Thursday, March 13 at St. Stephen United Methodist Church, 6800 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270, with visitation to follow. Any memorial gifts may be made to the Pastor’s Relief Fund at St. Stephen UMC.

Condolences may be offered at www.McEwenPinveilleChapel.com.