Grandmother, former Claremonter, longtime Upland resident and St. Anthony’s Parish member

Lillian M. Gude Peairs died peacefully at home in Upland on December 4, 2021 after a long illness. She was 82 years of age and was a longtime resident of Upland.

Lillian was born on March 12, 1939 to Rita Ellen Hesseman Gude and Oscar Jay “Buck” Gude in Brooklyn, New York. The family moved to a farm in New Jersey in 1945 after her father returned from the Pacific theater of World War II. The family relocated to Upland in 1952.

She was nicknamed “Lilly peach” by her mother and was called “our Irish rose” by her father-in-law, Maurice C. Peairs. “Lillian was unfailingly kind to all she met and became a friend to all, she also loved animals and was a supporter of organizations dedicated to animal causes,” her family shared.

She was always a hard worker, starting as a teenager at Coffey’s Market, a local mom and pop store. Later she worked at the Fallis department store in Ontario, the Upland National Bank and General Dynamics in Pomona, retiring in 1972 to raise her family. She was a supporter of youth sports and was often a team mother for her son’s teams.

She was a 1957 graduate of Chaffey High School and a graduate of Chaffey College. She was a longtime member of the Chaffey Republican Women’s Club, and a member of the St. Anthony’s Parish Choir in Upland. She loved the beach and was always ready for a trip to Newport for a day or a week.

She was married to Frank J. “Jerry” Peairs of Claremont on April 11, 1964, at St. Joseph’s Parish in Upland. The couple were married for 57 years and have two sons, Maurice J. “Maury” Peairs and Kevin A. Peairs, both of Upland.

Mrs. Peairs was predeceased by her mother, Rita E. Hesseman Gude; father, Oscar J. “Buck” Gude; and brother, Fredrick G. Gude.

She is survived by her husband Frank J. “Jerry” Peairs; son Maurice J. “Maury” Peairs; son Kevin A. Peairs; a daughter-in-law Jennifer M. Grandchamp Peairs; grandchildren Caitlyn M. Peairs, Christopher M. Peairs and Charlotte J. Peairs, all of Upland; sister Ellen G. Reeves of Edwardsville, Illinois; brother-in-law David A. Peairs and sister-in-law Patti S. Peairs of Thousand Oaks, California; sister-in-law Florence P. Adams of Mill Valley, California; sister-in-law Judith V. Peairs of Claremont; and a sister-in-law Yvonne Gude of Livermore, California.

A funeral mass and memorial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 19 at St. Anthony’s Parish, 2110 N. San Antonio Ave., Upland. A private burial will follow.