Mrs. Nicole Ruquoi Pierce

Nicole Ruquoi Pierce, a long-time Windsor resident, passed away peacefully Sunday, November 24, surrounded by her children. Nicole was born in Liege, Belgium on July 2, 1923, the daughter of Paul and Marie Louise Rucquoi. She had one older sister, Francine. Her father died when she was three years old, and she was raised by her maternal grandparents in the countryside near Liege. As a teen-ager, she attended a boarding school in Brugges, Belgium, but was forced to go home after the Germans occupied Belgium during World War II. She trained to be a pediatric nurse at the Edith Cavell School of Nursing and worked for two years in an orphanage. She left this job as the war intensified in Belgium so she could be near her sister. Under the occupation, food was rationed, German soldiers patrolled the streets, and bombs were a regular occurrence. She then volunteered for the Red Cross, trying to locate and care for bombing victims. Her most vivid memory of this time was the destruction of her grandparents' home where she grew up by a German bomb. Fortunately, her grandparents survived. She was in Liege when American troops came to liberate Belgium, witnessing the retreat of the German troops. When the war ended, Nicole decided to come to New York to visit her father's brother, Leon, who had married Dorothy Pierce of Hinsdale, Massachusetts. For a time, she was employed by the United Nations as a guide and interpreter. She met her husband, Doug, when he came to New York to visit his sister, Dorothy. Doug and Nicole were married in September, 1948 at her uncle's house in New York. Nicole was a housewife and mother of six. She enjoyed being involved in the children's activities, becoming a den mother for cub scouts, taking field trips to New York City, teaching French to the neighborhood children, and engaging the children in crafts. She was always an activitist, taking part in a huge anti-war demonstration in New York City. She fought against discrimination in housing by identifying real estate agents who refused to show houses to people of color. She hosted inner city children for many summers as part of the Fresh Air Program. When Doug retired, they moved into their home in Windsor, Massachusetts. She became very active in the town, including chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Windsor library for fifteen years, chairperson of the board of the Windsor Historical Commission, and a volunteer for the Council on Aging. Nicole was instrumental in launching and working at her daughter's Pittsfield business, Instant Replay, from 1995 to 2004 when at the age of 80 she decided to retire. Being part of a big family was very important to Nicole. She never missed the birthday of a family member and communicated constantly though emails and facebook messages. She loved hosting countless family visits in Windsor, including many weddings. She was the Pierce Family Association Reunion chairperson, organizing annual reunions at Camp Ashmere in Hinsdale for many years. She was an avid reader and she enjoyed tending her huge garden. Nicole was predeceased by her husband, Douglas; sister, Francine Wielemans; and son, Thomas. She is survived by her five children: Stephen Pierce of Worthington; Douglas Pierce and his partner, Julie, of Dillon, Colorado; Jeannette Pierce of Easthampton; Richard Pierce and his wife Laurie, of Newburyport; Michele Loehr and her husband, Kevin of Pittsfield; her brothers-in-law, David Pierce of Fayetteville New York; Robert Pierce of Rochester, New York; Sam Pierce of Souderton, New York; thirteen grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. FUNERAL NOTICE: A ceremony to celebrate her life will be held at the First Congregational Church in Hinsdale, Massachusetts on December 7, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made in her memory to Hospice Care of the Berkshires, Inc. 877 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.

Mrs. Nicole Ruquoi Pierce

July 2, 1923 - November 24, 2013