Virginia Rutledge Pearce passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026, at Norton Brownsboro Hospital. Born on July 2, 1931, to Virginia Mitchell and Winston Underwood Rutledge, she grew up in Louisville and attended Kentucky Home and Louisville Collegiate School before going on to Smith College. In 1955, while working at the Courier Journal, she met and married John Ed Pearce.
Virginia embraced her role as a mother and stepmother with warmth and joy. She was stepmother to Susan L. Pearce (Barry Tuteur) and Martha P. Downs (Charlie), and mother to Virginia M. Rutherford (Glenn), Elizabeth W. Pearce, and Alida R. Pearce. She served on numerous PTAs, hosted memorable Halloween and birthday parties for her children, and created Christmas Eve dinners that became treasured family traditions. She found her greatest happiness in her garden and on the beaches of Sanibel Island. A dedicated volunteer, she gave her time to CASA, Locust Grove, and the Junior League.
Virginia welcomed two step-grandchildren and four grandchildren into her life: Paul C. Rutherford, Oliver B. Rutherford (Jennifer), J. Michael Rutherford (Mary), and Katherine Rutherford (Stephen Vessel). She delighted in her five great-grandchildren, Jack, Ben, and Charlie Rutherford, and Virginia and John Rutherford. Her family will remember her gentle spirit, her love of home and nature, and the grace with which she lived her life.
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