Carmen Russell Pierson

Carmen Russell Pierson, age 88, died February 2, 2019, after a short illness.
She was born in Akron on September 25, 1930. Her parents, the late Euphrosyne and James Russell, were both Greek immigrants ultimately drawn like many others in the first half of the twentieth century to the industrial boomtown. She graduated from Old Trail School and then Vassar College, after which she moved to New York City. While there she worked at Time-Life but soon heard her hometown calling her back. Or perhaps it was fate, for she soon met another Akron returnee, attorney Charles Pierson, with whom she shared an avid love of art, music, and literature. They married on January 29, 1955.
She was a member of the Junior League of Akron, Akron Garden Club, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church Flower Guild. She was a docent at the Akron Art Institute and, with her husband, active in the museum's fundraising and volunteer efforts. Her father's vocation as a restaurateur and mother's avocation as a hostess gave her an abiding passion for cuisine, of which her family and friends were lucky beneficiaries.
Carmen was renowned for an impeccable sense of style, her ability to transform whatever she touched with sophisticated beauty, and a playful wit. She was loyal to her many friends and giving to her children.
She is survived by her brother, George Russell of Akron, and sister, Daphne Williams (Gregory) of Salt Lake City; three daughters, Alexandra Stoecklein (Richard), Melissa Pierson, and Valerie Torrens; grandchildren, Pierson Stoecklein, Holbrook Stoecklein, Aristea Wells (Henry), Raphael Pierson-Sante, Reid and Holden Torrens; two great-grandchildren; and one niece and four nephews. Her husband predeceased her.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on May 4, 2019.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center or the Chamber Music Society of Ohio.
(Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)