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Date of Birth
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December 21, 1996
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Date of Death
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April 13, 2026
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Location
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Bristol, Tennessee
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Who She Was
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Her Story
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Morgan McDonald Pearce of Bristol, Tennessee, passed away unexpectedly at home on April 13, 2026 due to pregnancy complications. She is mourned alongside her unborn child, Sadie Tegan, who was due in July. They are survived by Morgan’s husband and Sadie’s father, Levi Douglas Cox Pearce, and their beloved dogs, Dan and CiCi.
Morgan was born on December 21, 1996, in Columbus, Ohio, to Bill and Jennifer (Slager) Pearce. Raised in Westerville, Ohio, she graduated from Westerville North High School with honors and the AP Award of Distinction before attending Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Marketing with honors.
Morgan was a gifted athlete, musician, writer, and artist who possessed a natural ability to uplift others, making them feel at ease with her humor and warmth. Simultaneously, she demonstrated remarkable strength, courage, and resilience when facing challenges. Growing up, she learned how to swim, paint, play piano, cello, and sing, ride horses, shoot archery, golf, and play soccer, basketball, and softball competitively. She enjoyed any animal or bug that crossed her path. Her friends described her as a dreamer, spirited, funny, and a role model. She had a personality that could light up a room and motivate others, which eventually led to leadership roles in high school and college.
At Adrian College, Morgan used her dynamic skills and gifts to make a profound impact: she co-founded the Leadership Academy with President Jeffery R. Docking, served on the Board of Trustees as a student representative, and received the Presidential Leadership Award. Her athletic spirit shone as the ‘best rookie’ on the women’s soccer team her freshman year and as a member of the Adrian College Equestrian Team, where she earned numerous blue ribbons to support the team. She remained creative, playing cello in the college orchestra, performing in a theatre production, and discovering a passion for pottery. She was a dedicated member of Alpha Phi, attending national leadership summits in Chicago and Indianapolis, and continued her commitment to her alma mater by serving on the Adrian College Alumni Board.
Morgan’s professional life was marked by her versatility and desire to help others. She began her career as a Project Manager with Cooper Standard in Novi, Michigan, specializing in polymer plastics for product development. She traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, for her first business conference on solar energy. During the pandemic, she relocated to Bristol, Virginia, transitioning into a marketing role at Ballad Health and later sharing her warmth with the community at Greene’s Seafood as a server. Finding her true calling in mental health advocacy, she became a certified peer recovery specialist and had served with Navigate at Highlands Community Services for Washington County, Virginia, since early 2025, recently attending a national conference on mental health in Kansas City, Missouri. Faith remained a cornerstone of her life; she was a member of the Church of Messiah United Methodist in Westerville, Ohio, and attended the Covenant Fellowship Church in Bristol, Virginia. She was also an active member of the Women’s Alliance in Bristol.
On February 2, 2025, Morgan married Levi at Wallace United Methodist Church in Bristol, Virginia. Family and friends celebrated their loving and faithful union in a service officiated by Pastor Stephen Snead. They later purchased a 1930s farmhouse that overlooked the Holston Mountain range and had a big backyard for the dogs and hosting family functions.
Morgan is preceded in death by her grandparents, Thomas Leonard Slager, Lucinda Sue (Schlichter) Slager, and William James and MaryJane McDonald Pearce; and her dear great grandparents, Jesse and Esther Schlichter, and Leonard and Eunice Slager.
Survivors include her husband Levi; parents Jennifer and Bill of Pinehurst, North Carolina; sister Meghan Pearce Lull (Will) of Arlington, Virginia; her aunts and uncles Amanda and Craig Pickerill of Clintonville, Ohio, Tom and Margie Yatsko of Westerville, Ohio, and Pat and Pete Roush of Westerville, Ohio; cousins Maria, Gabe, and Toby Pickerill of Clintonville, Ohio, MJ (Mikhail) of Ferndale, Michigan and Katie (Hailey Fortson) Yatsko of Grandview, Ohio, and Alex of Westerville, Ohio and children, and Ben (Kari) Roush and child of Baltimore, Maryland; great aunt and uncle, Anne and Steve Schlichter of Grandview, Ohio and cousin Matthew Schlichter of Cincinnati, Ohio; in-laws Sherry and Dion Ratliff, Cody Cox and daughter Kaisley, April Sailor (Aaron) and children, and Jessie Ratliff, all of Bristol, Virginia; a host of special grandparents in Tennessee and Oklahoma; her best friends Emi Cross, Nicole and Victoria Buddie, and Parker Walker; and her work colleagues and mentors at Navigate.
In Morgan’s memory, the family suggests donations to the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, an organization that helped shape her character from her time as a Daisy through high school. GSOH.org Contributions may also be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NAMI.org, or other local mental health agencies or organizations.
Morgan’s smile lit up the world and opened hearts, and yours can too.
From Levi:
I love you now more than I ever could. You taught me so much. Cared and loved so deeply. You were the most patient, kind, and gentle soul. You loved everyone you met, spoke up for those who did not have a voice, and were a friend to everyone. As I look back on my time with you, you truly showed me Christ’s message to the world. You were a living example. I cannot express how much you will be truly missed. Your family and I will “Pearcervere” somehow and will be reminded of you when we see the trees clapping. You would have been the best earthly mother a child could ask for. Sadie would have been spoiled and surrounded by love. Tell her I say hello and I can’t wait to embrace the two of you. I love you Morgan McDonald Pearce. I love the bones of you.
Isaiah 55:12 For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing and all the trees in the field shall clap their hands.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”profile-links-header”]
Memorials
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