Charles E. Scace

CHARLES E. (TED) SCACE died peacefully in his home in Houston Tuesday at the age of 80. Born in 1924 in Lusk, Wyoming, Ted was valedictorian of his high school class. His studies at the University of Wyoming were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. Driven by the ideal of patriotism, he served his country as a B-17 bomber pilot in the U. S. Army Air Corps. After graduating from Purdue University, he went to work for the National Supply Company in Casper, Wyoming, in 1950 as a field salesman. Despite the vagaries of the oil patch, he personified the ideal of loyalty by working for the same company for thirty-five years. His assignments in sales, management, and administration took him from Wyoming to Nebraska to Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, and culminated in a promotion to General Manager of Administration in Houston. Along the way, he fell in love with and married Jo Ann Caroline Klemke. Together, they embodied the ideal of fidelity during their fifty-four years of marriage. Ted was fond of saying, "Jo Ann is my very best friend." Active in theater, golf, bowling, woodworking and bicycling, he was an attentive and loving father. A man of wisdom and integrity, he was a deep and clear thinker who often took a contrary position just to encourage others to more clearly contemplate their own. His Patriotism, Loyalty, Work Ethic, and Fidelity once caused him to be labeled "an idealist" (a term he relished). "The absence of idealism is cynicism," he replied. Idealists show us how to make the world a better place. Ted lived those ideals and made the world a better place. He is survived by his wife Jo Ann, his sister Charleen Beach, and his children and their spouses Jacque and Paul, Cody and Kathryn, Kevin and Jackie, Leslie and Jason, and grandchildren Jeff, Allison, Paul and Sydney. We will all miss him and the twinkle in his eye. Memorial service will be held at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 14200 Memorial Drive on Saturday, September 11 at 3:00 p.m. Donations may be made to Houston Hospice or Christ Memorial Lutheran Church.