Longtime Blacksburg resident, Edwin Pierson Felch, III, died Dec. 1, 2020, at the age of 82. Pierce was born Jan. 24, 1938, in Chatham, N.J., to Edwin Pierson Felch, Jr., and Roberta Lee Felch and lived there until he completed high school.
He attended Dartmouth College and earned a BA in 1960. Following Dartmouth, Pierce enlisted in the Navy and served in Coronado, Calif., as well as Yokosuka, Japan, and ultimately earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He earned his Juris Doctor at John Marshall Law School in Illinois, and graduated at the top of his class in 1972. Pierce had a distinguished career at AT&T Bell Laboratories in various states and retired in 1989 as Director of Facilities Management. In 1991, he decided to make his new home in Blacksburg to enjoy his retirement years.
Pierce was married to his loving wife, Nancy, for 52 years. He was an avid motorcycle enthusiast and enjoyed driving anything with wheels. Over time, Pierce owned close to 100 different types of motorcycles and loved buying and selling them.
In retirement, he worked at Blacksburg Transit, driving a bus for 10 years and often competing in their bus rodeos. He also volunteered at LewisGale Montgomery Hospital for a number of years. Pierce enjoyed country music, meeting his fellow bikers for breakfast in different locations on Saturdays, traveling and reading. He could literally fix anything.
His surviving family includes his wife, Nancy; son and daughter-in-law Christopher and Michelle; grandchildren AnnMarie, Morgan, Haven and Ella; as well as a number of cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and his twin sisters, Susan and Nina.
A special thanks to the caregivers within the memory care unit at Kroontje Health Care Center at Warm Hearth, who tirelessly and compassionately assisted him in his last three years of life.
As per his wishes, no formal services will be held. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor his memory are invited to make a donation to the Warm Hearth Foundation (www.retire.org), the Humane Society of Montgomery County (www.hsmcshelter.com), or the charity of their choice.
