FALMOUTH – John K. Pierce, “Jack”, passed on to “the happy hunting grounds” on Feb. 17, 2020, after a brief illness. He was born on Oct. 15, 1931 in Portland, Maine, to Carrell Kingsbury Pierce and Elizabeth Hall Pierce. After graduating from Hebron Academy and Dartmouth College, he spent two years in the army, first at Ranger School, then teaching the ski troops in Colorado. Following a year spent in investment banking in New York City, he returned to Portland where he worked at H.M.Payson Company, eventually becoming their managing partner. Also at that time, in 1958, he married Katherine Gould Hildreth, “Dassy”, and they raised a family of six children and many beloved dogs.

Jack was a true “Mainer”. A dreamer and an optimist with a love for the outdoors and an understanding of nature, gained by years of tromping through the woods with gun or fly rod, either with his parents, his Dartmouth friends at the College Grant, or later with his wife and children.

He always wanted to share what he loved with his family and they listened and learned. He loved them deeply, patiently, and issued wise counsel which they respected and appreciated with good humor. He also was playful and kept them challenged and amused with his adventurous spirit, his telling of tall tales, and his creative ideas, which made life a combination of work with fun.

In his 50s, his active imagination took over. Always intrigued with investing in unique pieces of property, he and Dassy had enjoyed roughing it on a remote point on Vinalhaven, then on to a dry bean farm in New Gloucester, and later finding a spot on the bold coast beyond Cutler.

Once his children were educated, he hung up his business suit and they purchased a small cattle ranch on the edge of the Rockies in Montana. They spent the next 30 years expanding their operation and territory, then fully assured it would all be preserved and finally put into permanent conservation, they parted with it in 2018.

Because all these adventures were shared with his children and grandchildren through the years, he is survived by a close loving group. They include Dassy, his wife of 61 years, his children, Benjamin and wife, Penelope, of Bozeman, Mont.; Elizabeth Williams and husband, Benjamin, of Lincoln, Mass.; Daniel and wife, Sarah, of New Gloucester; John and wife, Laurel, of Vero Beach, Fla.; Katherine Wright and husband, David, of Manchester, Mass.; Jeffrey and wife, Elizabeth, of Cumberland; and 18 grandchildren. Also, two sisters, Jane Landgren of Falmouth and Elinor Hunt of Tampa, Fla.

A private family celebration will be held this summer.

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