Michael James Pace M.D.

1957 - 2023

Michael James Pace, M.D.

Feb. 19, 1957 - Sept. 17, 2023

MCLEAN - Michael James Pace, M.D. (Mike) died at home unexpectedly on September 17, 2023, at age 66.

Mike was born in 1957, in Mt. Carmel, IL, to Margaruite Leathers Pace and William Clay Pace. After his parents divorced he grew up in St. Francisville with his younger brother, William Brent Pace, and his mother. He was active in the school community, in track and field, theater and music.

After the schools consolidated, Mike completed his final two years of high school at Lawrenceville Community Unit 20 where he graduated in 1975. He placed into his sophomore year at college and earned his undergraduate physiology degree Summa cum Laude from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1978. Mike was on the Dean's List every semester, won the Elk's Most Valuable Student Scholarship, was an assistant researcher in the Endocrine Pharmacology Laboratory, participated in 600-level research and was published in the field of Endocrine Pharmacology. Mike graduated early with his Medical Doctor degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1982. It was there that he met his wife, Carolyn Pitts. He completed his three-year residency program in Family Practice at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, IL, in 1985. During his residency he developed an elective curriculum in Occupational Medicine and performed health screening for employees of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Not content to simply endure the grueling residency program, once he obtained his Illinois medical license, Mike and some of his fellow doctors would travel to various hospitals in smaller communities such as Lincoln, Staunton, Canton and Carlinville, and work the weekend as the only physician in the emergency department. Mike and Carolyn married September 11, 1982. After his residency, Mike returned to Lawrenceville, IL, in 1985, where he lived and opened his own family medicine practice. He ran his clinic until 1987 when he transferred to the emergency department at Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson, IL.

From late 1987 until the spring of 1990, Mike ran a solo family medicine practice in Newton, Illinois. While he ran his own clinics, he also worked in ambulatory care centers in Evansville, IN, and Terra Haute, IN. Mike and Carolyn moved to Bloomington, IL, in 1990, where he worked as a staff physician at The Doctor's Office, Normal, IL, an ambulatory care practice and occupational medicine clinic until 1994.

While there he functioned as a Medical Review Officer for various companies and kept up with his occupational medicine practice with site visits, ongoing management and pre-screening physicals. He then returned to emergency medicine and staffed a variety of emergency departments from 1994 through 1995 at hospitals in the central-Illinois region including Eureka, Havana, Lincoln, Peru, Gibson City and Fairbury, IL. In 1995, Mike took the opportunity to start the ambulatory care center, Prompt Care, at OSF St. Joseph Hospital in Bloomington, Illinois. He continued working there until 1997. Mike returned to full time emergency medicine in 1997, working mostly at Mason District Hospital in Havana, IL.

In 2009, he took a position in occupational medicine for Take Care Health, later Premise Health, as Medical Director for Mitsubishi Manufacturing of North America until the plant's closure in 2015. He was also Medical Director at the Case New-Holland plant in Goodfield, IL. He was on multiple advisory boards at Take Care Health and Premise, including primary care medicine, occupational medicine and travel medicine. He was a corporate Grand Rounds presenter and a contributor to multiple clinic performance management policies. He then worked as a staff physician at Unity Point Proctor First Care in a combination of ambulatory care, primary care and occupational medicine until his retirement in December 2017.

Throughout his life, Mike approached his work and his other interests with unyielding passion. In high school, he set school records in discus and track. He was on the wrestling team and routinely won district level matches. He was an Eagle Scout, earning well over the number of badges to qualify. Mike won the God and Country Award, achieved Order of the Arrow membership and received the Vigil Honor for service to the lodge, council and Scouting.

As an adult, when he decided he wanted to learn to scuba dive, he learned everything he could about it, advanced through the required certifications and worked hard to earn Master Scuba Diver rating. Less than 2% of divers become Master Scuba Divers. When he took up target archery, he loved exploring the different bows and arrow fletching. He would spend hours tinkering with his bows and talking to the experts.

Mike's medical knowledge was vast and he loved the study of medicine. He earned Diplomate status with the American Board of Family Practice for completing and excelling at educational courses. Whenever he renewed his boards, he tested in the high 90th percentile of all the doctors taking the tests for that year. Mike loved to go to medical conferences to advance his knowledge and test his skills against others. He also earned Fellow status with the American College of Emergency Medicine for excelling in continuing education courses. He was Board Certified in Family Practice, held certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, also teaching courses through 2008, in Advanced Trauma Life Support and Advanced Pediatric Life Support and he was NRCME (DOT) certified. Mike had the remarkable ability to understand, distill and then convey complex ideas with clarity. He loved his "pearls" of wisdom about medicine.

Another of his passions was music, playing guitar and listening to all kinds of music from his vast collection. Mike always returned to rock music as his main love. He would study certain bands intently, read articles about the band and listen to collections to learn a band's oeuvre. Mike loved eclectic food and sharing a meal with friends and family.

He was a devoted family member and loyal friend. If you were his friend, you were in for life. He enjoyed a loving marriage of just over 41 years with his wife, Carolyn. He was deeply committed to his pet dogs. Over his adult life Mike shared his life with dogs Queenie, Rusty, Dusty, Charlie, and Patty, who all preceded him in death. His current dog and daily companion, Ginger Spice, who kept him company during his retirement.

Mike was known for his sense of humor and his ability to rattle off joke after joke from memory. At times, he laughed so hard at his own jokes that he could not tell another. He had a quick wit, loved bad puns and had numerous "Pace-isms" that he would convey whenever he saw the opportunity. His nieces and nephews will always remember Uncle Mike's quick "one-liners." Mike was a kind and gentle man who will be missed by family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; and his brother, Brent.

His celebration of life will take place at 10 o'clock a.m., Saturday, October 21, 2023, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal, 1613 East Emerson Street, Bloomington, IL; Rev. Rebecca Gant officiating.