Eleanor Pierce, the matriarch of the old Pierce Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop for more than fifty years, died Friday,

February 21, 2020 in DeKalb.

Eleanor Elizabeth was born on December 19, 1922, in Sycamore, to Otto and Amanda (Davidson) Johnson, immigrant farmers from Sweden.

As a little girl, when Eleanor entered the one-room Mayfield Township country school, she could speak only Swedish. Over time, she excelled so strongly in her studies that she was moved ahead a grade.

She was confirmed at Salem Lutheran church, then located on Somonauk Street in Sycamore, and graduated from Kingston High School in 1940, with a class that numbered only a handful of students.

In her teenage years, the pretty, blue-eyed blonde rode on the back of a roaring old Harley Knucklehead motorcycle, her arms wrapped around her high school sweetheart, Wayne Pierce. In 1942, Eleanor and Wayne eloped to Kahoka, Missouri.

She worked for a time answering telephones for an electric company, and later took a job as a bookkeeper for Corey and Evans, a trucking company.

But it was in the world of motorcycles where Eleanor would become widely known and beloved as the sparkling 'Ma' of the Harley shop on Sycamore Road and later on Peace Road.

She partnered with Wayne Sr., who came to be known as 'Pappy,' and later with her son, Wayne Jr., who was called 'Whiz,' and finally with her daughter, Marylou, a Berkeley-educated librarian who came home to work in the shop after young Wayne was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2007.

Eleanor oversaw the books and helped manage the shop. She also presided as something of an ambassador and counselor for the many customers, friends and workers who were delighted to sit in her company.

The shop earned a special place in Harley lore, with a collection of antique bikes and memorabilia, many visits from celebrities, such as Jay Leno, and its mom-and-pop charm.

A great listener and a gifted storyteller, Eleanor saw the fascination of life. She said she never understood the notion of boredom, not when a person could pick up a book or sit outside and watch the birds and squirrels at play. Indeed, she saw it as her responsibility to look after the creatures in her yard.

She was a voracious reader of books and newspapers. She subscribed to some 15 magazines. She watched PBS and several newscasts a day. Using a magnifying glass, she worked on word puzzles in her later years to keep her mind sharp.

Eleanor was up-to-date on virtually everything, from the DeKalb city government to the latest with the Royal Family. She was keenly interested in politics and not hesitant to share her views. On the day that President Barack Obama was inaugurated, in 2009, Eleanor watched the ceremony on the television in the Harley shop and was moved to tears.

During World War II, Eleanor had regularly exchanged letters with Willard Aves, a childhood friend to her and Wayne, who had joined the military. He died at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Years later, Eleanor and Wayne made a trip to his ship, the USS Arizona Memorial, in his honor.

In her final years at a retirement home, Eleanor kept a bowl full of candy on a table in her room for her visitors and the staff. They adored her. In Eleanor's last hours, some nurses wept. High school health care student workers stopped in her room to caress her hair, say goodbye and wipe away tears. One young man knelt at her side and whispered thanks for her kindness.

Eleanor is survived by her daughter, Marylou; a brother, Ralph, a sister-in-law, Donna Johnson; nieces and nephews, Shirley (Vern) Koelling, Bruce (Hedy) Johnson, Carol Johnson, Paul (Dawn) Johnson, and Lori Davids; Dirk Johnson, Cynthia (Ben) Chereskin, Rachel (Ted) Strack and Jennifer Johnson (Richard Neubauer); many grandnieces and nephews, a great-grand niece and nephew.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Wayne Pierce Sr., her son, Wayne Pierce Jr., brothers, John David Johnson and Glen Johnson; and sister-in-law, Marion Johnson.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, at Butala Funeral Home and Crematory.

The Rev. Preston Fields of Salem Lutheran Church will officiate the funeral at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 2, at the Butala Funeral Home.  Burial will be at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore.

A luncheon will follow at Blumen Gardens.

Donations can be made to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or Tails in care of the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL. 60178.

To sign the online guest book or share a special memory,  go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com