Maunsel Bennett Pearce Jr., M.D.

Maunsel Bennett Pearce, Jr., M.D. passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026, in Holladay, Utah surrounded by the people he loved.

Maunsel was born on August 5, 1938, in Alexandria, Louisiana, to Mildred M. Pearce and Maunsel B. Pearce, Sr. It was in Alexandria where he met his wife, Ann, and where he developed his lifelong love of basketball, the outdoors, fishing, and hunting. After graduating from high school, he earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1962. His father was also a physician, and both men were awarded membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society recognizing the highest achievement in medical education.

From an early age he was drawn to sports and the outdoors. Childhood baseball transitioned to serious basketball at Bolton High School where he was a star forward of the team. His love of the game never faded, and he closely followed basketball for the rest of his life. He was a season pass holder to the Utah Jazz (Stockton to Malone!) and an avid watcher of the schools, players, and coaches of college basketball. March Madness was one of his favorite times of the year.

His home state of Louisiana is often referred to as a “sportsman’s paradise” and Maunsel spent many hours hunting, fishing, and exploring the swamps and bayous. A lengthy trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia led him to grow a moustache that he kept for the rest of his life. These early adventures led to his lifelong interest in spending time in and caring for wild places.

Following medical school, he completed his internship and residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. In 1968, he was recruited for a residency at the University of Utah School of Medicine and L.D.S. Hospital and was excited about the medical innovations in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery happening in Salt Lake City. Maunsel and Ann had only planned two years away from the South, but they both fell in love with Utah and the West.

Before making Salt Lake City their permanent home, they returned to the South in 1969 where Maunsel served at the Maxwell Air Force Base Regional Hospital in Alabama as a physician. When they moved back to Utah in 1971, Maunsel completed his residency and then began full-time practice as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Holy Cross Hospital. Shortly thereafter he co-founded Western Cardiovascular Associates, which provided a wide range of cardiac and thoracic care. One of the group’s accomplishments was establishing the open-heart section of St. Mark’s Hospital’s surgery department where they performed its first open-heart procedure.

During his first years as a doctor, Maunsel assumed a leadership role at Holy Cross Hospital. After a decade of service, he was elected as President of the Medical Staff in 1984. He was also on the staff at Primary Children’s Medical Center and the University Medical Center. He developed a reputation for his deep commitment to his patients and the relationships he built with colleagues and hospital staff.

Maunsel was always looking for opportunities to enjoy hunting, fishing, and the wildlife the Utah wilderness has to offer. He was an avid fly fisherman and spent time on Henry’s Fork in Idaho, the Dean in British Columbia, the Sandy River in Alaska and far-flung places such as Russia, Christmas Island, and South and Central America. He loved standing in those wild places, tying flies that matched local invertebrates, and hoping for the next big fish. He was also aware of his potential impact on wildlife. After the floods in Salt Lake City during the 1980s, he largely quit duck hunting to limit his own impacts on migratory birds that were coping with flooded habitats.

After retiring in 1993, he volunteered for organizations that worked to document and preserve natural places of the American West including The Nature Conservancy of Utah, the Wild Salmon Center, Ducks Unlimited, Utah Habitat Council, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, and the Great Salt Lake Alliance. He was an early and passionate advocate for the preservation and responsible stewardship of the Great Salt Lake.

He was a quiet and thoughtful person who deeply loved his family and friends. A keen observer of people and places, he often helped people facing illness by navigating the hospital systems for them, even after retirement. He paid attention to moments that mattered, marking milestones and anniversaries, and offering steady encouragement along the way. He loved reading, especially new Western fiction and nonfiction books about events and consequences that continue to shape our country and planet. As a physician and in retirement, he spent his life doing what he could to make things better—for people and for the world around him.

Maunsel is survived by his wife Ann, children Sarah (Patrick Hubley), John (Elizabeth Manning), Virginia (Chris Templin), brother-in-law Errol Barron (Kate Barron), and grandchildren Emmett, Roxie, Bennett and Eliot.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, March 26, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. Guests are encouraged to use the parking lot on the north side of the building. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Nature Conservancy of Utah at www.nature.org/utah in his honor.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the caregivers at Visiting Angels, Suncrest Hospice and The Ridge Cottonwood.