Phillip Dean Pearce, 74, of Pine Mountain, passed away on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Columbus Hospice in Columbus, GA.

He was best known to everyone as "Phil" and he was born on December 12, 1950, in Bakersfield, CA. He was adopted at birth and brought home by his parents, Dean Alfred and Verda Lee Pearce. The family lived in several states and Phil went to high school and college in Joplin, MO. Phil got an Assistant Manager position with A&P (grocery store) in Atlanta, GA, which is where he met his wife, Leann. On July 3, 1975, they were married at Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Job opportunities took them to Catoosa, OK, where they lived from 1981 to 2023, except for the years 2003 to 2008 when they lived in Hofheim am Taunus, (located between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt) Germany, and worked for the U.S. government. Phil enjoyed living overseas and having the opportunity to travel and be part of a different culture. The rest of Phil’s career was in sales and marketing. Phil was diagnosed in 2020 with congestive heart failure and lewy body dementia which caused his physical and mental decline over the last years of his life.

Phil’s biggest hobbies and interests were playing golf, listening to music and traveling. Phil never met a stranger and loved engaging with people. Phil’s best friends used these words to describe him: Caring, Loyal, Funny, Very Good Friend, Gregarious, Fun-loving, Big Hearted, Teasing, Smiling, Great with Kids, and sometimes rough on the outside but a big marshmallow on the inside.

He loved the Lord and was of the Christian faith. He was currently attending Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Columbus, GA. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law Mark. He is survived by his loving wife of over forty-nine years, Leann Carolyn Pearce of Pine Mountain, GA; brothers-in-law Carl (Velvet) Schultz of Somerville, TN and Kurt (Melanie) Schultz of LaGrange, GA; nieces and nephews; Donna (Pearce) Sloan and family of Tulsa, OK; best friends and their families; and many cousins of the Pearce, Burns, Strodthoff, Ahlers and Schultz families.

A funeral service will be held at 11:30 am (viewing from 10:00-11:15) at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 4700 Armour Road, Columbus, GA, with the Rev. John Bumgardner officiating. A meal and reception will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Interment will be at 3:30 pm at Meriwether Memory Gardens, 93 Prather Barnes Road, Manchester, GA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choosing.

Cox Funeral Home - Hamilton, is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be given at www.coxfh.com.