Sue Ann Pearce

Sue Ann Pearce died unexpectedly on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at her home in Show Low, Arizona after years of debilitating health. She was 57 years old. Sue Ann was born on Saturday, November 9, 1963, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sue Ann was a graduated member of Sunnyslope High School's Class of 1981. In the first few years following her graduation, Sue Ann worked for the Faust Animal Hospital in Phoenix. She loved working there and was happy she was able to help in the care of her four-legged friends. After leaving her job at the animal hospital, she began a 15+ year career with The Arizona Republic.

A faithful employee of the paper, she started out as a billing clerk in the Telecommunications Department of The Arizona Republic and, a few years later, she transferred to I.T. help desk and operations. She received a certificate of completion for Novell Netware and advanced to becoming a Network Administrator for the Arizona Republic. She was well liked by just about everyone she worked with and made a few lifelong friends as a result of her time there.  After leaving her employment with the newspaper, she was rear-ended by a drunk driver and sustained such injuries that she was forced to medically retire.

Since that accident, her health has never been the same and she suffered from several maladies that have plagued her health for nearly 20 years. She moved to Concho, Arizona and lived there for several years and, just a few months ago, moved to Show Low, Arizona where she lived up until her death.

Sue Ann was a former wife to 3 men she knew from her days at The Arizona Republic: Larry Jones who was a security guard for the paper, Thomas Pettijohn and Tony Pearce who both worked in the I.T. Department.

She was a stubborn woman by nature and as a result of lessons she learned from her childhood, she never allowed anyone to take advantage of her in her adulthood. She was a self-made goodhearted lady. Ever willing to lend a helping hand to others in need, she did whatever she could to lighten the burdens of others. 

Sue Ann possessed a special affinity of dogs and loved them a lot. They proved to provide her with the unconditional love that was otherwise lacking in her life. She adored each one of her pets very much. Through the years, she owned Moose, her beloved Chocolate Lab; and her Golden Retrievers she named Riley, Megan, Buck, and Max. Max was a dog with a sweet and healing disposition who Sue Ann loved taking to care centers, hospitals and nursing homes with the sole purpose of boosting the spirits of the patients there. The cancer kids' moral was always uplifted and both Sue Ann and Max brought many a smile to those tired little faces.  Her most recent dog was her dog Baxter, a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier who served as her service dog at the time of her passing.

She is survived by her former husband who remained a constant friend and confidant, Thomas E. Pettijohn of Litchfield Park, AZ; 5 sisters: Sheri Green, Teri Boos, Kim Green, Tammi Proulx, Kristin Green; 3 nieces. She was preceded in death by her mom, dad, step-dad, and her ex-husband, Tony Pearce.