Sheila Yang Pierson

Our cherished mother, grandmother, wife, aunt, and friend, Sheila Yang Pierson, passed on January 11, 2025, in her home in Kensington, Maryland, with her beloved husband of nearly 62 years, William Theodore Pierson, Jr. by her side. Sheila was born on July 28, 1940, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Dr. You Chan Yang, the first ambassador from the Republic of South Korea to the United States, and Pauline Tai Yang a graduate of the master’s program at Parsons School of Design in New York. Sheila attended High School at the National Cathedral School for Girls, in Washington, D.C. and later transferred to The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Sheila began her collegiate studies at George Washington University in 1963. In February that year, Sheila married her lifelong companion, William Theodore Pierson Jr (Ted). Sheila is survived by her loving family: Ted Pierson Jr, her husband, Tara Pierson Dunning, her daughter, William Theodore Pierson III, her son, Stephen Fries Pierson, her son, and her grandchildren, Lucy Harumi Dunning, Aidan Katsumi Dunning and Nathan Tai Dunning. Sheila was deeply involved in her children’s schools, on endowment and various fundraising activities in addition to non-profit institutions such as the Campagna Center in Old Town, Alexandria. Sheila worked in retail for iconic DC brands like Garfinckel’s and was most notably recognized as a consummate Customer Service professional during many years of service, first at Nordstrom, and then later at Neiman Marcus where received a national award: NM Best in Service leader. Sheila was an avid world traveler, and enjoyed numerous activities, including hiking, biking, and kayaking, especially with her grandchildren, her nieces and nephews and their children and her close friends and neighbors. She had a deep appreciation of many art forms: from her love of music to great film, classic architecture, and professional dance. She was a voracious reader, which, when coupled with her extraordinary memory and vivid imagination, rendered her capable of entertaining friends and family with wonderful stories and becoming an oral archivist of our lives. Above all, Sheila cherished family and friendship, and was in turn truly beloved by everyone with whom she came to be acquainted, a large and diverse group, which reflects her enormous capacity for open-mindedness, empathy for others, and unconditional love. Sheila’s life will be remembered and celebrated at Grace Chapel in the National Cathedral School for Girls, on the grounds of the National Cathedral on Mount St. Alban, Washington DC, on Feb 8, 2025 at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to World Central Kitchen: donate.wck.org in honor of Sheila Yang Pierson 07/28/1940 – 01/11/2025.

Sheila Yang Pierson

July 28, 1940 - January 11, 2025