Leslie Ann Pierce

COLUMBIA-Leslie Ann Pierce passed away at her home on June 28 in Columbia, SC. She was a native of Florida, born in St. Petersburg on December 24, 1965, the daughter of Dr. Margaret Ann Leslie Pierce-Jeter and the late George Amos Pierce, Jr. Leslie attended Bartram School for Girls in Jacksonville, FL and graduated from Dixie High School in Due West, SC.She attended Erskine College and was awarded a B.A. in Studio Art from Winthrop University. She studied art history at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL before moving to Columbia, SC in 1991. Leslie loved life. She was a free spirit. She enjoyed being active in the arts community in Columbia for the past 24 years.She was an artist, a patron of the arts to all of her many artist friends, and a dedicated supporter of the Trustus and The Nickelodeon theaters. Leslie was a long-time staff member at the Columbia Museum of Art.Her work as a volunteer docent, art educator, and Director of Adult Programming and Partnerships at the museum was a driving force in her life.She so enjoyed the people she worked with and the musicians and artists with whom she collaborated over the past 20 years at the museum. Leslie strived to make art inclusive and accessible to everyone. Leslie loved her family, her friends and her cats, Freddie and Banjo.She had a gift for inspiring others and making each person around her feel special. Leslie will be deeply missed by her family and friends.She is survived by her mother, Peggy Jeter and step-father, Gus Jeter of Spartanburg, and her two sisters, Patricia Pierce of Columbia and Virginia Pierce of Ridgeway. A Celebration of Life Service for Leslie will be held at 11:00 a.m., July 25, at the Jeter Chapel on Jeter Cemetery Road, Carlisle, SC 29031.A reception will follow at the family lake house in Carlisle.Leslie will be laid to rest at Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, FL with a service conducted by All Saints Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201, in honor of Leslie Pierce. Columbia Museum of Art