Harold Milton Pearcy

Harold Milton Pearcy of Ruckersville, Virginia, died at home on April 26 surrounded by his wife, Joy, and his two children, Marsha and Andrew. He was 85 years old.

Born on September 28, 1937, to Guy and Nettie Emmaline Spencer Pearcy in Jacksonville, AR, Harold was raised on a farm in Marked Tree, AR, instilling in him early on a love of working the land and of the people who do it. He married his high school sweetheart, Joy Faye Bryan, whom he had known since he was 10 and who became his life partner.

In the early 1960s Harold and Joy began an adventure they never imagined. After serving in the United States Airforce, and later joining the United States Government, Harold moved to Africa with his wife and young children; he would eventually live in or travel to almost every country on that continent. Harold and Joy also lived in South America and East Asia while serving their country and raising their family.

Quiet and reserved, Harold was blessed with a boundless curiosity. He explored Southern farming practices as well as cuisine and culture from around the world, bringing what he learned to his love and lifelong hobby of vegetable gardening and cooking. Through his travels and his reading, he accumulated a seemingly endless supply of useful information and could always be counted on to answer the questions that flummoxed others.

After retiring from the government, Harold and Joy ran their own 300 acre-farm in Stantonville, TN, raising cattle and growing vegetables. In his last years, Harold enjoyed playing golf, woodworking and reading the New Yorker in Ruckersville, VA.

Harold is survived by his wife, Joy Pearcy, his daughter, Marsha Pearcy (Kim Sperduto), his son, Andrew Pearcy (Amy Pence), five grandchildren, Isabella, (Andrew Martel), Charles, Sophia, Emily (Paul Jackson), Stella and Gray, two great-grandchildren, Theo and Luca, and several nieces and nephews. Harold will be buried at Culpeper National Cemetery at 11 AM on Friday June 2, 2023, officiated by Rev. Lillian Russell. The address is 501 East Chandler Street, Culpeper, VA. Afterwards, a gathering to celebrate his life will be held at 1 PM at the main clubhouse at the Four Seasons Community in Ruckersville, VA on Four Seasons Drive.