BENNINGTON, Vt. — The Pierce Family raised $2,000 in memory of Edmund "Peanut" Pierce, who had been treated at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center but who passed away in June.

 

Members of the Pierce family gathered to make a donation to the center on Tuesday, July 27. 

 

The funds were raised at a stock car race called the Peanut Special Memorial at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y., on July 10. In addition to making a donation, the family also contributed to additional payouts for the winners of the race.

 

Family members in attendance included Pierce's wife June, son Chad, daughter Tracy, and granddaughter Rylie.

 

"We are appreciative of the care Peanut received here at the Cancer Center and grateful to the racing community for their support," June said. "We accomplished what we set out to do."

 

Pierce was a stock car racing enthusiast. Together with his son as driver, he won 2012 Sportsman Track Championship at Lebanon Valley. In 2012, he was inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame, and in 2017, he was inducted into the Lebanon Valley Hall of Fame.

 

"We are so grateful for this heartfelt donation from the Pierce family," said Charlene Ives, medical director of the Cancer Center. "That the funds were raised in a way so closely connected to Peanut's interest in racing makes them even more special. We will use the funds to support patients, as they pursue both their treatment and the activities they enjoy."