Message below forwarded to the Powys List on behalf of David Pace, brother of recently deceased Powys List member, Betty Pace. David's eulogy is appended at the bottom of his e-mail. John Ball List Admin -------------------------------------------------- From: "David Pace" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 7:02 PM Subject: Obituary of Betty Pace I am the brother of Betty Pace, who was a contributor to this list. Betty's burial was held yesterday, Friday September 24, 2010. Her obituary is posted at http://obit.hdoliver.com/obit_display.cgi?id=832866 and the eulogy which I read at her burial is attached. In addition, there are some photographs of Betty at http://drop.io/86hqe30 I appreciate the many messages of support which I have received from the genealogy community. It is a testament to my sister that so many people who never met her thought so highly of her. Sincerely, David Pace ======================== Betty A. Pace - Eulogy We have come together today to say a last farewell to my sister, Betty Ann Pace. Her name on her birth certificate was Elizabeth, but her driver's license, her college diploma, and even her social security card all say "Betty." Our father died when Betty was only 14. She had been very close to him, and his loss was hard on her. After graduation from high school, Betty immediately went into the work force-of necessity. She worked at the Navy base and then for a pharmaceuticals company, saving up enough money to return to school. After nine years, she left her clerical jobs and started college full time. She majored in English at what was then the Norfolk Branch of the College of William and Mary. She was graduated with honors and a 3.8 grade point average, having received no grade less than a B. She placed fourth in her class of 293 students, and first among English majors. Soon she became a high school English teacher. The best testament to her teaching success would come from her students. It happens that one of her students was interviewed in the local newspaper after graduating and going into the Hollywood film industry. The student's name is Barbara Anne Klein, a Hollywood stunt woman with appearances in over 170 movie and TV productions, including such shows as Sleepless in Seattle, Superman II, Independence Day, and Batman Forever. In the newspaper interview, Miss Klein was asked what was the "last smart thing you did." Her reply was "I listened to my Kempsville High School English teacher, Miss Pace, who said 'if you put your mind to it, you can do anything!' I'm still looking for her to thank her." I found that clipping and got the email address for Miss Klein in Hollywood. She called me and emailed me immediately in reply. Here are some email excerpts: "I am shocked to near this news. THANK YOU so much for taking the time to contact me. I just adored Betty Pace. I have cited her many times when talking about goal setting, overcoming fears, etc. She inspired me to want to work with kids in volunteer positions (outreach to troubled youth for example). "That news article . led to many phone calls between us. I would call almost every time I returned to Virginia Beach to tell her that she STILL has an influence on my heart. "Betty Pace influenced my life from a very pivotal time...age 17, a time when most kids choose the direction of their life path. I am so thankful that God landed me in a front row seat of Miss Pace's Senior English Class. She didn't just teach nouns and verbs in that English class, she taught us HOW to think for ourselves. "Betty Pace was part of a series of influences that got me started in founding 'Angel Partners, Inc.' a Non Profit Organization which has helped many people around the world. Upon my last visit to Virginia Beach, my fiancé suggested that we buy a section of the boardwalk (where many teenagers would see every day at the beach) and create a monument to the wonderful teachers of the world, with Betty Pace as the figurehead. He even wanted to have a life sized statue made of her image, so that her influence would continue, as teens would walk by and stop to read its message. This is HOW much she meant to me. "Many other students felt the same way about her. Even at the Old Dominion University Campus, I ran into kids who still spoke of her. "This will sound funny...but I am currently preparing to roll a car over as a stunt in a movie. . When Miss Pace phoned my mother to reply to my newspaper article quote, she said 'I can't believe I influenced ANYONE to become a STUNT performer.... I'm afraid to EVEN DRIVE A CAR!' I will think of her on the set, right before I perform this car rolling stunt.... if she ONLY knew.... "Another time on a TV talk show I was asked why I became a Hollywood Stuntwoman. I said 'I WANTED to be JUST like Miss Pace, my high school English teacher. But that job seemed WAY TOO HARD, so I became a stuntwoman instead.' I appreciate Barbara Anne Klein's taking an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Norfolk to be here today. She came here without sleep or food, and I invite her to say a few words if she can stay awake. ---------------- Insert comments by Barbara Anne Klein. ---------------- In addition to being a teacher, Betty was also a talented writer and artist. She had at least three short stories published in magazines. As a painter and sculptor, she exhibited her work in Tidewater art shows. There are some samples of her work on display here. I'd like to tell one story of an incident in my college years. I was home on a school break and met a new acquaintance. I and some others went over to the new friend's house one day. As I entered the living room, I was awe-struck. Hanging over the fireplace was a picture that I recognized immediately as having been painted by Betty! I mentioned it to her later, but she was pretty matter of fact about it: "oh, yeah, they bought that picture from me a while back." I was impressed, even if she was not. Her last intellectual pursuit was genealogy. Betty got interested in tracking down our family history and soon gained some renown in the field. She spent many hours writing to records repositories, getting copies of census sheets, marriage records, cemetery records, and other documents. She traced back our father's family to Richard Pace of the Jamestown colony of the early 1600s. She traced back our Mother's family to a line of Welsh kings. Once you connect to a king, there are books and books of documentation, so that through the Morgan family we can show an unbroken line of ancestors to the year 548BC. Betty was an active contributor to several genealogy email lists. Again, I'll refer to quotes from those with first-hand knowledge of her work. When I notified them of her death, here are some of the replies that I received, mostly from people who never laid eyes on her yet who held her in the highest regard: "The genealogy community lost a tireless worker with your sister's death. You might consider donating copies of her work to a library." Lolene Newman "I think most of us on the Rowan Co list were at one time or another the lucky recipients of Betty's generous lookups and wonderful information on our ancestors. Betty was a very special person and extremely gifted genealogist." Carina Slack "I have never met Betty but have always looked in earnest to the day I could have the chance to meet her and talk of the many times I've seen her name appear in the mailing lists in England and Wales. It was almost funny, to put in "PACE" as the search word and many results would come up having Betty's name attached to them. Could I ask if you have any pictures of Betty or anything that I could include in a memoriam on the Pace Society web page I'd like to create for her. She has been a most giving and accomplished researcher. Personally, I always looked forward to any words from her." Another said "Right from the start of my research she was there for me. With all of the family research, Betty really was the one in charge. She was a real professional. She always had proof for her work and would never put a concrete seal on research unless there was evidence." Joyce O'Boyle "Her e-mails were always enjoyed, and I will miss her work and comments. Betty seemed to enjoy doing the research and sharing her findings." Shirley Graham "I never knew Betty, except via the internet, but I always knew that I would like her. She sounded like a good, genuine person, and she was a careful and thoughtful researcher." Jeaneane Williams "She was a major contributor to the Rowan List, among others I'm sure. I would appreciate, as I'm sure others on the Rowan List would, if you would post her obituary." Myrna Madigan "Of all the folks that posted to the Rowan board, Betty was always calm and level headed and always had wonderful information." Sherry There were many more of these messages that I omitted, but I think this tells the story. I thank Bob Julian for coming here today from his home in North Carolina. Bob is a genealogy researcher who has never seen Betty but wanted to be here today. I will conclude by noting that I started this eulogy saying not that it was a goodbye to Betty, but rather a farewell. That is, this is a wish and a prayer for her. A better expression is the German equivalent, Auf Wiedersehen, meaning "until we see each other again." Betty has now had a reunion with our father whom she missed so much, with our brother, Wakie, who went before us, and with our mother, who passed away just a few months ago in March. Watching over Mother was Betty's last great task in life, and now they are together again, with that task fulfilled. So Betty, from those of us gathered here, Auf Wiedersehen.