Obituary of William R. Pearse

William R. Pearse passed away peacefully June 9, 2020 at the age of 77. He was born on January 27, 1943 in Astoria, NY to William and Margaret Pearse. He attended Immaculate Conception School, where he met his wife of 33 Years, Kathleen M. Walsh. He graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School, worked his way through St. Francis College & later earned a masters degree from St. John’s University. Bill & Kathy were proud parents of five children, Bill, Jennifer, Kathleen, Karen and Brian. Together, they built a loving home, always open to countless family, friends and loved ones. Our father and mother dedicated their lives to raising their children, teaching us to always put family first. Family and friends were the center and purpose of Bill’s life. He was a constant presence, an advisor and an advocate who could always be counted on, like it or not. He worked hard and proudly put all five of his children through college, but he always had time to be a soccer coach, baseball coach, or just take his family to the beach. Bill leaves his family and dearest friends with countless, eternal memories from vacations, parties, and simple late night talks, whether around a picnic table under the stars in the Catskills, a kitchen table in Elmont or on the beach in the Outer Banks. Bill was a proud grandfather to eighteen grandchildren and he made it his business to never miss a birthday, graduation or milestone event in any of their lives. As father and grandfather he always stressed the importance of hard work and instilled in us all a sense of responsibility, yet he never forgot to make you laugh. Bill’s grandchildren will always remember his silly side. He was a loving, generous Uncle and patriarch, adored and respected by the Rotondo, Walsh, Schmidt and Keppel families. Bill was a generous man, who believed in service and volunteerism. He proudly served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He volunteered countless hours at our church and coached many soccer and baseball teams over the years. Most recently, Bill spent thousands of hours volunteering at St. Francis Hospital, a role he was very proud of. We are also forever grateful for Patricia McGillen, his life-renewing, fun-loving partner for the past 14 years. They reunited at the 50th anniversary of their graduating class from Immaculate Conception. Bill and Pat shared a love of family, friends and their faith. Together they traveled, laughed and supported one another. Pat has become an important part of our family and we love her dearly. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen Pearse, his parents, William J. Pearse and Margaret Pearse (Brady), and his beloved sister and brother in law, Constance and Angelo Rotondo. He is survived by his children, son William and wife, Wendy, daughter Jennifer and husband, John, daughter Kathleen and husband, Marc, daughter Karen and husband, Chris, son Brian and wife, Tara. Also survived by grandchildren Riley, Benjamin, Madison, Julianna, Austin, Ashlynn, Caitlin, Aidan, Patrick, Jack, Margaret, Kelly, Meghan, Michael, Anna, Brendan, Colin and Kathleen. Whether you called him Bill, Dad, Mr. Pearse, Uncle Bill, Pop, Grandpa or Beeba, he will be missed by so many who love him. In lieu of flowers donations would be appreciated to: St Francis Hospital https://stfrancisheartcenter.chsli.org/sfh-utility-give American Heart Association https://www.heart.org/en/