JOE E. PACE

PACE JOE EDWARD PACE Lieutenant Colonel (US ARMY) (Ret.) Joe Edward Pace, loving husband, father, grandfather and brother, and retired US Army officer passed away peacefully as the result of complications from Alzheimer's Dieseae at his home in Temple Hills, Maryland on December 28, 2014 at the age of 89. He was born July 31, 1925 in Ft. Worth, Texas to Ritchie and Thomas Pace. Joe was a veteran of three wars. He served in the US Navy during World War II and on October 24-25, 1944, he was among the crew that survived two kamikaze attacks on his ship the USS Suwannee CVE-27. He later served in the US Army in the Korean conflict and in Vietnam. His Army career included postings as assistant professor of ROTC at Northeastern University in Boston. He served abroad in postings to Munich, Wurzburg and Bad Godesberg, Germany. He retired from the military in 1970 in Ft. Lee, Virginia after more than 20 years of active service. Joe studied electrical engineering at Texas A&M University and earned a BS in Military Science from the University of Maryland (Munich) in 1960. He earned his MBA from Northeastern University in Boston in 1964. Following his retirement from the military he served in administrative, managerial and financial positions in the private sector; at the Washington DC law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow & Garrett, with the Leather Industries of America trade association in Washington, DC. and with the law firm of Pompan & Associates of Alexandria, Virginia. Joe is survived by his wife of 59 years, Elfriede, a native of Munich Germany; by his daughter Sonja and her husband Larry James of Washington DC, his son Bryan of Silver Spring, Maryland and grandchildren Eddie, Marissa and Joey, all of Silver Spring. He is also survived by his sister, Rose Ellen (Wilson) and niece Leza and her husband Michael Tanner of Forth Worth, Texas. Funeral services will be held at the Fort Meyer Post Chapel at 9 a.m., July 22 followed by a burial, with full military honors, at Arlington National Cemetery. A reception will then be held at the Fort Meyer Officers' Club. Joe will be fondly remembered for his wit, generosity, kindness and for his love of family and country. Donations in his memory may be made to the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (www.dvnf.org[dvnf.org]) or an animal rescue and care organization of your choice.Donations in his memory may be made to the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (www.dvnf.org[dvnf.org]) or an animal rescue and care organization of your choice.