Charles C. "Chuck" Pace

Charles C. Pace was not the oldest and not the youngest, but he managed to carve out a place for himself in a family absolutely loaded with boys. Born September 28, 1960, in Hampton, Virginia, as the fifth son of six to Joseph Gregory Pace, Sr. and Rosye Lou Cumbee Pace, Chuck managed to stay the baby for eight years until yet another boy came along and robbed him of his spot. Initially, Chuck was resentful, but it didn't take long for Chuck to get over it, and he even enjoyed taking the new baby on walks in his stroller. With his father in the Air Force, Chuck spent the first few years of his life in Newport News, Virginia; Oslo, Norway; and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. They finally returned home, landing for good in Charlottesville, Virginia, where his father's family had lived for at least a hundred years. Mischievous would be a good word to describe Chuck as a child, and we do have stories. But let's not go there (at least not in writing). Following his 1978 graduation from Charlottesville High School, where he ran track and cross country, he matriculated at Virginia Military Institute. At VMI, he remained mischievous (and again, we have stories), but he also had the chance to develop the self-discipline and sense of honor that would guide him well throughout the coming decades. After a brief stint in the United States Navy, Chuck leapt into science education. Taking his first teaching job at the Blue Ridge School was somewhat impulsive, but it fortuitously led him to his life's true mission. For the majority of his teaching career, he taught biology at Albemarle High School. He also served as the science instructional coordinator for Albemarle County for eleven years. After his retirement from Albemarle County Public Schools, he returned to Blue Ridge School for seven final years of teaching chemistry, the cherry on top of a thirty-nine-year career in education. While teaching was his vocation, he also enjoyed coaching, especially football and lacrosse. And he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Naval Reserve for many years, retiring in 2001 as a Commander. At Albemarle High School, he met Anne Marie Belair, who was student teaching down the hall. She knew he was mischievous, but she married him anyway. They were married for 34 wonderful years and raised four children together. He made up crazy games like Bed Shark and Diving Man, drove the kids to sports practices and cheered them at games, volunteered as a computer operator for the Fairview Swim Club for many years, and always made time to take his kids to a UVA game or down the street to 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. In his last year, he embarked upon one of the proudest accomplishments of his life. Everything he had learned from teaching, coaching, and parenting came together to guide him through his time on the Albemarle County School Board, first as an appointee and then, too briefly, as the elected representative of the Rio District. Visiting schools, meeting with teachers and students, and even digging deeply into policy and budgeting brought him tremendous joy. Throughout this full life, Chuck also lived with kidney disease, which was first diagnosed in 1995. A 2002 kidney transplant, with the gift of a kidney from his wife's brother-in-law David Leckrone, gave him new energy which lasted more than 18 years before the disease took hold of the new kidney. Sadly, Chuck died Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at the University of Virginia Hospital, surrounded by family. Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and by two brothers, Joseph Gregory Pace, Jr., and Thomas Spencer Pace. Missing him dearly are his wife Anne Marie Pace, his children Madeleine Pace and Callie Pace of Charlottesville, Robert Pace of Richmond, and Laura Pace of Wallingford, CT. His brothers Michael (with his wife Mary Anne), William (with his wife Gina), and Richard; his beloved in-laws, Mary Ann Belair, Margaret and David Leckrone; and the many nieces and nephews with whom he fought with light sabers also mourn his passing. Chuck's service will be held Friday, December 27, 2024, at 2 p.m. at Church of Our Saviour, 1165 E. Rio Road, Charlottesville, Virginia, with interment in the church cemetery and a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Church of Our Saviour's Grab-A-Bag program, which aids food-insecure children in Albemarle County, or the Richmond Fisher House, which supports families of veterans receiving care at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System.