Margery Leone Thompson Pierson

Margery Leone Thompson Pierson was born May 20,1932 in Salt Lake City, UT to Henry Peter Thompson and Mary Leona (Jones) Thompson and passed away on November 29, 2025 at the age of 93 in Kirkland, Washington. Margery graduated from East High School and from the University of Utah, studying Radio and Television and Elementary Education. She met her spouse K Kendall Pierson in a student play and married him on August 20, 1952. They moved to New York City and she supported Ken through medical school as an elementary school teacher in Long Island.

Margery was happiest being with her family. Her daughters, Cynthia Leigh (Pierson) Austin and Pamela Kay (Pierson) Portz, loved her dearly and spent as much time as they could with her. She made the ordinary details of life fun and always showed her love through listening and being present whenever needed. She had an excellent sense of humor and made others laugh a lot. She was also passionate about being “Gran” to her six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Margery was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved learning about Jesus, sharing her love for Him with others. She was an early morning seminary teacher for 16 years in Gainesville, Florida. Because of her great love of children and youth she taught piano lessons and directed musicals at the Gainesville Community Playhouse for decades. She especially sought to direct plays that had roles for children.

Margery also spent much of her time volunteering at church and in the Gainesville Florida community. She was president of the Shands Medical Guild and volunteered with Harvest that benefitted the St. Francis House.

She and her husband Ken loved to travel to London to enjoy theater. They both volunteered in Church Education and as advisors in addiction recovery programs.

Margery was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years in 2010, and by her beloved sister Merelyn Poulson in 2018. She looked forward to being reunited with her brother Henry Blaine Thompson who died in infancy in 1930. She is survived by her daughters, her sons-in-law J. Jonathan Austin and Ron Portz, and by her beloved baby brother Roger Thompson. She is also survived by her grandchildren Jasher Austin (Kelli), Jado Austin (Dani), Elijah Portz (Vanessa), Zion Austin (Emma), Samuel Portz (EJ) and Gracyn Austin Darrington (Aiden), and great grandchildren Avyn, Kaia, Atticus, and Theoden.

A memorial service will be held December 27th at 12:00pm at Garden Park Ward, 1150 Yale Ave. SE, Salt Lake City. In lieu of flowers donations to St. Francis House stfrancishousegvn.com would be greatly appreciated.