Effield Mary Elizabeth "Effie" Dellis Pearce, 91, of Severna Park died Feb. 29 in her home.

Mrs. Pearce was born July 28, 1916 in the Turks and Caicos Islands. She spent much of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, where she attended the local public school. When she was 12, she went to a boarding school in Toronto, Canada, and later attended McGill University in Montreal.

She worked with the British Admiralty in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where her responsibilities included decoding and sending encrypted messages during World War II.

After her marriage, she moved to South Africa in 1947, where she lived for over 30 years. She moved to Severna Park in 2001.

Mrs. Pearce was drawn to the arts, had a distinct musical flair, and loved singing, dancing, and performing in amateur theatricals. She played the guitar, and was an especially talented piano player. She would often play and sing for friends and family, especially songs from the Dominican Republic. She had a passion for languages, and also excelled at golf and bridge and for many years tape recorded books for the blind.

She was known for being a loving wife and mother, and was also known for her kindness, intelligence, good nature, and mischievous sense of humor.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Olliver Pearce; and four brothers.

Survivors include three daughters, Judy Wolff of in Paris, France, Marilyn Higgs of Severna Park and Faye Harbottle of Washington, D.C.; six grandchildren; andsix great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 445 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD 21401

As published 3/12/2008 in The Capital Newspaper, Annapolis, MD