Hanover
She was equally cordial when she was first approached by her future husband, Enfield native Philip Pierce, in the English seaside town of Weymouth during World War II.
“My dad was in the (U.S.) Army and my mom was working in the British Women’s Land Army at the time,” said the couple’s son, also Philip, of his parents’ first encounter. “My dad thought it would be a good idea to go help out these young British women working in a field. As the story goes, she offered him half of a beet sandwich for lunch for his troubles.”
Pierce, who died on Valentine’s Day at 93, would be much more giving after arriving in the U.S., sailing on a nine-day ocean voyage without her future husband in summer 1946 and lodging with his family for several weeks before they were married on Aug. 4. Whimsical, magnanimous and forever optimistic, Pierce had multitudes of admirers while a pillar in Hanover schools, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, North Country Community Theater and the Campion’s department store on South Main Street.
It was at the latter that Pierce spent more than 30 years as a popular sales associate for women’s clothing, building devoted clientele with an impeccable eye for fashion and markedly personable approach to customer service.
“Women would come in to be outfitted and ask for my mom. If she wasn’t there, they’d say, ‘OK, I’ll come back,’ ” said Phil Pierce Jr. (Phil Pierce Sr. predeceased Edna by 16 years).
Jay Campion, a great-grandson of the founder and a former manager at the store, recalled Pierce’s genuine affection toward those she served.
“She made choosing things to wear so special because she was blessed with the attitude that she really thought about the customer,” Campion said. “She took time to listen and be thoughtful. She was ahead of her time in a sense when you look at what retail is today.
“Now it’s not so much about acquisition of the product, but the shopping experience that brings people to stores because otherwise they would just order it from their couch on the internet. Edna was hip to the importance of the shopping experience a long time ago. She enjoyed building relationships. When someone left the store, she really wanted to feel as though she’d helped them out.”
Edna worked at Campion’s from the mid-1970s until its closing in 2010. Prior to that she worked for the Hanover-area welcome wagon and was a substitute teacher in the town school system, maintaining relationships with many of the children until they were much older.
“She remembered everyone’s birthday and would send them cards,” Phil Pierce said. “I talked to someone recently who she taught in elementary school and she talked about how she’d received a (high school) graduation card from my mother, and how much it meant to her.”
Like so many others, kids in the Hanover schools were generally intrigued by Pierce’s British mannerisms and dialect, though there was at least one occasion when the accent caused confusion.
“She was leading a second grade spelling bee, and the word was ‘been,’ ” Phil Pierce said. “Being British, she pronounced it bean and that’s what the student heard and spelled it b-e-a-n. My mom said, ‘I’m sorry, that’s incorrect,’ and (the student) asked her to use it in a sentence. She said, ‘Where have you been?’ and had to be told, ‘Mrs. Pierce, we don’t pronounce it that way here.’ ”
Pierce also taught Sunday School at St. Thomas, where the family — including Phil’s two sisters, Carol and Mary — attended services. Pierce was active in the church’s choir and annual Christmas pageant, writing a script about 50 years ago that is still used today save for minor tweaks, according to the Rev. Guy Collins.
Reverend Collins, a fellow native of England, grew quite close with Pierce during the 11 years since he arrived at St. Thomas.
“Glorious is the word I would use to describe her,” said Collins, who wrote and delivered a stirring eulogy during Pierce’s services at the church. “She was simply radiant. Always thoughtful, kind, interested in people and fun to be around. She lifted everybody’s hearts up. She was profoundly selfless and just a bright light. She was a joyful human being, very special. The entire congregation misses her dearly.”
Pierce’s mildly deep singing voice is missed in the choir, Collins said. “The adult choir is now bereft of her joyous voice,” he said. “It was as beautiful as the way she spoke.”
Pierce was a self-taught pianist, playing gracefully despite never reading notes, and was a mainstay contributor to North Country Community Theater.
One of its earliest devotees following NCCT’s1973 creation, Pierce served on its board of directors for more than 30 years and performed in countless productions, primarily as a member of the choir or a secondary actor.
“She played a lot of supporting roles, the mother or sister of the main part, or a key townsperson,” said Ken Munsey, of Canaan, also a longtime NCCT contributor. “She really became a fixture in the cast and would help people with anything they needed. “What I remember most about Edna is that she was the epitome of a lady at all times. Whatever she did, it was classy.”
NCCT’s recently concluded summer production, Curtains, was dedicated in Pierce’s memory.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-737-3225.