Obituary : The Rev. Frederic M. Pearse, III
The Rev. Frederic Montagu Penley Pearse, III, of Vineyard Haven died on July 3 of cancer at Martha's Vineyard Hospital. He was 75.
Born in Lexington, Va., he was the son of Frederick M.P. Pearse, Jr., and Emily Edmonson Penick Pearse. Monte, as he was known, attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., winning many honors. At his graduation from Washington and Lee University he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership fraternity.
He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1958 and was ordained as an Episcopal Priest. He subsequently served parishes in many states. Monte moved to Massachusetts when he was named chaplain of St. Mark's School in Southborough.
The fulfillment on Monte's adult life began at age 40 when he was among those at the forefront for training and treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse across the country. He worked at Falmouth Hospital's early program, Longwood Hospital in Boston and CAIRU, an early response program in Falmouth. He also worked for Vallee Associates for four years counseling inmates at Old Colony Correctional, a maximum security prison. In the early 1990s he was given the title of "Venerable" by Bishop David Johnson in Boston.
Monte married Judy Jenks Fraser of Vineyard Haven in 1996. (His previous marriage ended in divorce.) Judy then moved to his hometown of Lexington, Va., where thy lived for several years. They returned to Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Monte continued doing supply work for St. Andrew's, Grace, and West Tisbury Congregational churches. In spring of 2008 he retired as a deputy sheriff where he worked at Community Corrections educating and counseling about substance abuse and addiction. He had recently begun a private practice specializing in the older adult.
He leaves behind a wide circle of loving family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Judy; son, Paul, of Kitty Hawk, N.C., and his wife, Bonnie; grandchildren Max, Georgia, Canyon, and Noah; stepchildren Alison Fraser Sheridan and her husband, Tom, and their daughter, Terra, of Rochester, N.Y., and Porter Fraser of Vineyard Haven. Monte was predeceased by his daughter, Elizabeth Crater Pearse.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Martha's Vineyard Hospital, P.O. Box 1477, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557; Polly Hill Arboretum, P.O. Box 561, West Tisbury, MA 02575; Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1197, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568; R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church, 123 W. Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450.
