October 20, 2021, 87, Goldsboro –
On October 20, 2021, Dixie Mae Pearce Toler of Goldsboro passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 87.
Born in Wayne County on November 14, 1933 to Ezra Robert Pearce and Dora Ada Herring Pearce, one of seven siblings. Dixie went on to graduate from Goldsboro High School in 1952. She married Cedric Lee Toler on June 3, 1955 and they remained together for 45 years until his passing in 2001. Together, they had three children and having accepted Christ as her Savior in 1950, Dixie and Cedric were very active members in The Church of God of Prophecy.
After brief stints working for Woolworth’s, W.H. Weil and Company, and James C. Greene Company, Dixie began working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation in 1959. She remained there for over 36 years until she retired on December 31, 1995.
The great loves of her life were her three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Upon retirement, her true passions became doll collecting, birdwatching and gardening.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, an infant sibling, her brother Lloyd Pearce, and sisters Lois Pearce Robbins and Ada Lorraine Pearce Sullivan.
Dixie is survived by her children, Teresa Blackman (Steve) of Goldsboro, Terence Toler (Phyllis) of Apex, and Amy Grady (Troy) of Mount Olive; grandchildren Chad Toler (JuJu), Wes Toler (Ashley), Brad Toler, Adam Grady, Will Blackman, Kyleigh Grady, and Ada Grady; great-grandchildren Everett Toler and Poppy Toler; sisters Gladys Bartlett and Francis Hood (Phil); and numerous nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. in the Princeton Cemetery with Steve Blackman and Rev. Jimmy Earp officiating. Attendees are asked to wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and bring a chair if needed. The family will receive friends at the cemetery following the service. Mrs. Toler will lie in state at Seymour Funeral Home on Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Flowers are welcome or memorials may be given in her memory to the charity of your choosing.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.seymourfuneralhome.com.
