Pearl Loretta "Bernier" Plaisted

Pearl Plaisted, 96, passed away peacefully on the evening of March 11, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Born to John and Lea (Rouleau) Bernier on October 25, 1929, in Berwick, Pearl spent nearly her entire life in the community she cherished. A standout athlete despite her petite frame, she played basketball for Berwick High School and earned the nickname “Rugged Number 4.” She graduated as valedictorian of her class and went on to work in the office at Brackett & Shaw before becoming a supervisor at Prudential Insurance in Dover.

She met Allan Plaisted, and their courtship was filled with laughter and dancing at the Rockingham Ballroom and the Pier at Old Orchard Beach. They married on June 27, 1953. Pearl devoted herself to raising their four children—Sheila, Craig, Scott, and Dawn—while also helping part-time with the Bo Peep Diaper Service owned by her brother Richard. A lifelong communicant of Our Lady of Peace parish, she served faithfully through sodality, funeral luncheons, turkey suppers, the food pantry, whist parties, and senior activities. Her deep faith was evident each night as she knelt in her living room to pray the rosary.

Pearl welcomed everyone with warmth and showed her love through generous service and her gift for making others feel at home. She was known for her delicious icebox cake and butterball cookies with multicolored sugar, and she and Allan hosted countless family Sunday dinners and holiday gatherings well into her late 80s. At the Plaisted family cottage in York, she enjoyed more than four decades of summers filled with beach walks, porch conversations, and lasting friendships with renters who became like family. She loved gardening, ballroom dancing, blueberry picking, and playing cards—especially whist, cribbage, and rummy. Even in her 80s, she was always ready to set up croquet, toss a ball, or sit on the floor building blocks with her nine grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. Her ready smile, infectious chuckle, quick wit, and genuinely warm heart left a lasting impression on everyone she met, including those who cared for her during her final two years at Avita of Wells.

Pearl was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Allan Plaisted, her son Scott Plaisted, and her grandson Joshua Plaisted. She is survived by her daughter Sheila and husband Bruce Lilly of Bethel, son Craig and wife Cynthia Plaisted of Berwick, daughter Dawn and husband Cory Steere of Wells, daughter-in-law Carol Plaisted of York, eight grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren.