A family-oriented man who loved Switzerland and biking
MELROSE — Robert “Bob” Pierce, 54, of Melrose, passed away the morning of April 5, 2023, at the Massachusetts General Hospital due to complications with ALS. Bob had fought ALS for 12 years, surviving off of pure stubbornness and the love of his family and care team. Although Bob was determined to live to watch his daughters continue to grow up, his body was not up for the task. Bob was a truly unique individual, making an impact on the lives of everyone around him. He loved to share his passions of biking; financial literacy; high quality audiovisual experiences; Van Halen, Metallica, & Led Zeppelin; and obscure scotches and cocktails.
Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on December 25, 1968, Bob was the eldest child of Mary Christian and Rodger Pierce. His sister Amanda was born in August 1972. Typical of siblings, he was the “mean” older brother, but he and Amanda still managed to get along most of the time. Bob grew up with a love for camping and the outdoors. He went on many trips, including a week of three-wheeling in the Rocky Mountains, ice camping on Lake Koshkonong, and annual ATV trips to the Black River Falls with his father, which became known as the “Annual Mud Run.” His first of many backpacking treks was several days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his mother. Outdoor adventures weren’t Bob’s only passion.
When Bob got his driver’s license, his dad passed down the beloved Buick Nighthawk to him, which Bob then equipped with a full panel of custom-mounted speakers in the back. Always ambitious, Bob saved money during high school by working nights at a data entry office. While in high school, he also discovered two new loves: guitars and physical fitness. As soon as he could afford it he purchased his first guitar—red, of course, as that was his favorite color. He graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1986 with a pierced ear, which he later attempted to convince his children he never had. His mullet was more difficult to deny. Bob also obtained a pilot license in high school with the dream of becoming a professional pilot. He was a natural; he crafted a near-perfect flight plan and flew his sister and three family friends to Florida soon after he got his license. Alas, his dream of becoming a professional pilot was thwarted by his color blindness. Instead, he attended Milwaukee School of Engineering, where he studied mechanical and electrical engineering. Bob believed in a strong work-play balance in college; he kept himself busy causing mischief with friends, but he also graduated with high honors. He became so obsessed with his favorite restaurant while in college, Conejitos, that even after he moved out of state, he would have his mother get him enchiladas before she headed to the Rock County Airport to visit him.
To jumpstart his professional career, Bob took a position at Kimberly-Clark after college, where he met his future best woman, Michele Bartnik. His job gave him opportunity to travel to Mexico and China, sparking a love of international travel. Bob liked to brag that during that time, he worked on the mechanics of creating the first wings on feminine hygiene products. In 1995, Bob transferred to Alabama to work at a paper mill that Kimberly Clark had acquired. Co-workers were at times not sure what to make of him always in motion. One even commented, “Boy, you need to put some roller skates on with the way you move around here.” Shortly after moving to Alabama, Bob met his future wife, Christine. They soon learned that, while they met in Alabama, they grew up only a couple hours from each other in the Midwest. Bob also found joy during this time exchanging pranks with his beloved Uncle King and Aunt Martha and cousins Nicky and Leigh. Despite his ribbing and antics, Bob is also remembered by his family for his support and thoughtfulness, especially during tough times.
After Kimberly-Clark sold the paper mill, Bob saw an opportunity to apply for business school. From 1998 to 2000, he attended Harvard Business School as a proud member of Section E. Internships at Booze Allen Hamilton and Intel brought opportunities to briefly live in New York City and Portland, Oregon. While he had a job offer to continue with Booze Allen Hamilton, Bob was a Midwesterner at heart and could not see himself living in NYC with his beloved dog, Roxy, and gas grill. He also wanted to pursue his interest in healthcare and took a job in healthcare consulting at Scient in Boston. In May 2000, he married Christine (Schnyder), and May 2001 brought the birth of his first daughter, Kaitlyn. That year, he took a job in Business Development at Biogen. In October 2003, his second daughter, Abigail, was born. Bob was quite protective of his girls and loved them deeply. One time, when he and Christine left Katy, who was then a toddler, in his mother’s care during a trip, he wrote a detailed book— including a table of contents—on how to care for his child while he was gone. In his free time, Bob developed a love of mountain biking, and one year came in first place in the Novice category of the Eastern Fat Tire Association Championship Series.
While excelling in business development at Biogen, Bob caught the eye of then CFO, Paul Clancy. Paul jokes that he knew he wanted Bob on the finance team after watching Bob walk from the train station carrying his bag lunch every morning. This began a close mentorship that turned into a lasting friendship. Bob was viewed as a “fix-it” guy and moved among finance teams to revamp them for better productivity.
In 2009, Bob accepted the position of Head of International Finance at Biogen (then Biogen Idec), and he and his family moved to the place he considered to be his true home: Switzerland. Despite never really using the German he learned in high school, Bob thrived in Switzerland. He loved the mountains and lakes, and his love of biking flourished (some may say it turned into an obsession), as he began to road bike on the twisting mountain roads. He often woke up at 4:30 a.m. to train before work and spent many weekend days on hours-long bike rides around the Alps. There were biking trips to Lake Como, bike races in Switzerland and Italy, and he participated in the four-day London to Paris bike race with his close biking friends. In Summer 2010, Bob and his family took a two-week tour of southern France. This trip fulfilled his dreams of getting to watch parts of the Tour de France, as well as getting to ride his bike up the famed Mont Ventoux, which is often included in a stage of the Tour de France. That trip was a thrill of a lifetime for Bob. Shortly afterward, he traveled to Italy to purchase his much-loved custom-made Pinarello bike. He was quite disheartened when Christine was against having that bike reside with them in their bedroom.
Sadly, only a few months later, in December 2010, Bob was diagnosed with ALS. He had hoped to stay at least another year in Switzerland, but the following summer, he and his family returned to Massachusetts for him to pursue treatment at Mass General Hospital, one of the top ALS research and treatment facilities in the world. Bob valiantly and stubbornly fought the disease over the past 12 years. He developed very close friendships with caregivers, often providing them with financial (and cocktail-making) advice. He also developed a financial literacy and investment program for his daughters and their friends and acted as a consultant for neighbor friends who started their own businesses. While he had to stop working at Biogen fairly early on due to debilitating fatigue, he maintained close friendships from his time at Biogen and former Biogen coworkers often came to visit, sharing work and personal stories that would have him crying from laughter.
In addition to his love of his family, Switzerland, biking and athletic pursuits (he never let his family forget when their cats’ vet, while showing his then-young girls how to use a stethoscope on him, commented that he “must be an athlete”), Bob was known for his dry humor, epitomized by his request to have Bill Burr speak at his memorial service after his cremation via funeral pyre. Bob was a truly passionate and stubborn individual; he even only listened to Van Halen for a year after Eddie Van Halen died.
Bob was preceded in death by his cousin, Nicole “Nicky” Pierce and is survived by his two daughters, Kaitlyn “Katy” and Abigail “Abby” Pierce; mother, Mary (Art LaBuy) Christian of Roscoe, IL; father, Rodger (Deb Klipstein) Pierce of Richland Center, WI; sister, Amanda (Steven) Wesley of Janesville, WI; nephew, Andrew (Kirah Rasmussen) Van Namee of Juda, WI; his aunts, uncles and cousins; Christine; his devoted care team; his custom Pinarello; and his prized Frankenstrat guitar.
A Celebration of Life event will be held in June.
Donations in his memory can be made to ALS ONE, 8 Industrial Way, Whitman, Ma. 02382, the Jay S. Fishman ALS Augmentative Communication Program, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, 401 Park Drive, Suite 602, Boston, MA. 02215-5301, Hope Loves Company, 210 Park Ave, Suite 324, Worcester, MA. 01609, or the ALS Association, PO Box 37022, Boone, IA, 50037-0022.
For online tribute, please visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com.
