Philip Pierce passed away on November 11, 2020 from complications associated with COVID-19 infection.  He was 88 years old.  Since early 2019 Phil lived at Lasell Village in Auburndale, MA with his wife of 67 years Miriam Pierce.  In addition to Miriam, he is survived by his children Eric Pierce and Amy Brand, their spouses Debora Hoffman and Matthew Brand, and his 5 grandchildren Hannah and Emma Pierce-Hoffman, and Isaiah, Orenna and Liraz Brand.

Phil was born Philip Perlmutter on September 22, 1932 in New York City.  He and his older brother Robert (Bob) grew up working in their parents grocery store on Essex street in the Lower East side of Manhattan, on the site where the famous Gus’s Pickles was located until 2002.  He attended Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn College and then Brooklyn Law School.

He met his wife Miriam (Mimi) at Brooklyn College, and they married on September 6, 1953.  They were both children of parents who had escaped the pogroms and eventual holocaust in Europe.  Phil’s parents Jonas and Esther met on the ship they fled Austria and the Ukraine on in 1922. 

Phil and Mimi moved to an apartment at 66th street and West End Avenue in Manhattan in the early 1960s, and lived in that neighborhood for almost 60 years until their move to Massachusetts in 2019.

Phil was drafted into the Army at age 24 during the Korean war.  He and Mimi were stationed initially in Dugway, Utah and liked to tell stories of their unusual time in the US Military. For example, Phil was quickly singled out as a trouble maker for wearing a handkerchief around his neck in order to keep warm during morning exercise drills.  Since he was already an attorney when drafted, Phil completed his military service working as a lawyer for the Army in New York.  

Phil practiced as an attorney in New York for his whole adult life.  He changed his name from Perlmutter to Pierce in 1964 in order to avoid prejudice in his legal career.  He was a skilled litigator, and handled many challenging cases, including some of the major airline company bankruptcies in the 1980s.  He also argued cases before the US Supreme Court.

Phil and Mimi were consummate New Yorkers, enjoying season tickets to the ballet at Lincoln Center and the city’s many restaurants.  As crazy as it sounds, they kept a car in New York, and Phil could always find a parking space.  

Outside of work, his favorite pass-time was sculpting, and through years of practice often in classes with Philip Pavia at the New School, became an accomplished sculptor using the hardest medium of marble.  He was especially drawn to the female form, and produced a series of torso sculptures ranging from classically detailed to abstract and almost cubist.  A number of his pieces now adorn his own and his children’s homes.  He also liked doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, and enjoyed his political discussion friend group; he was a staunch Democrat, and would have been overjoyed with the outcome of our recent election. 

While focused on and proud of his career, he was most proud of his children and grandchildren.  He and Mimi were especially pleased when two of their grandchildren elected to attend Columbia University, and enjoyed hosting Hannah and Orenna at meals around the city, and at their large apartment.  When they retired due to illness just a couple of years ago, Phil and Mimi moved to the Boston area in order to be close to Eric and Amy and their families.  While they settled into their new home Lasell Village, the COVID-19 pandemic limited their ability to visit with both new friends at Lasell and with family.  This was especially hard when Phil became ill from COVID-19 infection in October.

His memory is a blessing for this wife, children, grandchildren and extended family.

A small memorial service for immediate family will be held on November 15th at the Sharon Gardens cemetery in Valhalla, NY.  A celebration of Phil’s life will be held after the pandemic.