Funeral to be held this weekend for Assemblywoman Pierce

A memorial is scheduled this weekend in Las Vegas for Democratic Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce.

Friends announced that the event will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Culinary Union building in Las Vegas, with time for refreshments before and after the formal program.

A similar memorial is expected to be held later this year in Northern Nevada, although a date hasn’t been set.

Family members have requested donations to progressive organizations or ones fighting breast cancer.

Pierce died early Thursday while battling her third bout of breast cancer in the past 10 years. She was 59.

She was elected to the Assembly in 2002 and is remembered as a staunch liberal who fought for a broader tax base, workers’ rights and the environment.