Our Kids

Carissa Marie Pearce

Carissa Marie Pearce 1985 ~ 2008 After a short but valiant fight against a rare fungal infection complicated by pneumonia, our sweet "Sunshine" Carissa, 22, returned to her Heavenly Father April 13, 2008 in Provo, Utah. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her family singing her favorite church songs. The fifth of ten children, Carissa jumped into the world feet first on December 8, 1985 in West Jordan, Utah to Tony Marion Pearce and Carrie Ann Tarbet Neves Pearce. Carissa lived the last 17 years with her family in Alpine, Utah. Carissa attended Dan Peterson School and Cedar Ridge Elementary School, then spent nine years at Lone Peak High School making countless friends of students, teachers and administrators. She just graduated last December and had excitedly begun work at the MyComfort store. Carissa was a member of the LDS church and hated to ever miss a meeting. She loved her friends in the East Mountain Singles Ward where she was the ward chorister. She loved Special Needs Mutual, bowling with friends, riding horses, doing word searches, reading, writing letters, telling jokes, singing, dancing, watching movies, Special Olympics, and just hanging out. Carissa is survived by her parents, Tony and Carrie, her siblings, Tomi Ann (Dan), Dan (Andrea), Eric (Leanne), Amy, Nick, Andy, Emily, Lydia, and Ange, and her nephews, Sam, Josh and Noah. Grandparents, Maxine Law Pearce, Gloria Gay Neves, Glen F. Tarbet and Ann E. Tarbet and many Aunts, Uncles and cousins. She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Montieth Pearce, Wilford Neves, and Betty Tarbet. We express our heartfelt thanks to the caregivers at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for their expert, kind, and compassionate care and the extraordinary efforts to try and save our sweet Carissa's life. Funeral services for Carissa will be held Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. in the Alpine LDS Stake Center Chapel at 98 East Canyon Crest Road, Alpine, Utah. Family and friends may call Monday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah and an additional viewing at the church on Tuesday morning from 10-11 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Alpine City Cemetery. Published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 4/20/2008.