Carl Leroy Pierson

Carl Leroy Pierson, 66 of Globe, passed away of natural causes at Haven Health Nursing Home on March 6th. Carl was born in Phoenix, Arizona to John C. Pierson and Evelyn E. Kleiman. He spent much of his growing years at the Arizona Training Program in Randolph, Arizona which was a state school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He left the school sometime in his late teens or early adulthood and was placed in Globe on his own where he lived the remainder of his life.

When he was younger, he was known in Globe as a young man who would go through town with his bicycle and a boom box stereo. For many years, he actively participated in Special Olympics. He was particularly good at bowling and proudly showed his friends his many Special Olympic medals. In 1987, he was able to travel to South Bend, Indiana to participate in the International Special Olympics. He proudly wore a Notre Dame hat for several years after the trip.

In 1992, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and participated in church activities as much as he could for the remainder of his life. For many years, he would line up the hymnals at church every week after services and pick up discarded programs. He became a BYU fan and would often wear BYU sports gear. He was even able to attend a couple of BYU football games when the team was playing in Arizona.

Carl never had much, but he enjoyed using the resources he had trying to keep up with the latest technology. The boom box of his younger years was followed by multiple televisions, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones, tablets, and then smart phones. Each device in its time was very important to him.

Carl was a very social person who enjoyed being included and liked being with friends. He had a few jokes that he told over and over and over. At first, his jokes weren’t that funny, but he repeated them so much that they became funny to his friends. Some of these jokes included his catch phrases, “that don’t work,” “cat tail on a hot dog bun,” and “what if we use your head as a bowling ball.”

Carl’s health declined in his later years. He became dependent on a walker and had recently had surgery to replace both hips. He never really recovered from the second surgery. Toward the end of his life, he was grateful for the help he received from his providers at COPA Health in Globe, and throughout his life, he valued the many service providers who helped him maintain his independence.

Carl’s parents predeceased him. Carl is survived by his many friends who he considered to be family.

His friends will hold a memorial service for him at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Ensign Drive in Globe just North of the Highway 60/70 interchange.