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Obituary

Barbara Ray Pace died April 3, 2017 in Chapel Hill. Services will be held Monday, April 10 at 1:30pm at Emerald Isle Baptist Church.



Barbara was born May 19, 1936 in Loveland, Colorado. She spent most of her childhood there while her father, a colonel in the Army, fought in the Pacific during World War II and then in Korea. After her second year at the University of Colorado, she decided to join her family in Ankara, Turkey, where her father was serving as a US advisor to the Turkish Army. Soon after she arrived, she met a young Air Force lieutenant, Tom Pace, fresh out of UNC-CH. They married a year later. She followed Tom back to North Carolina and, despite her formative years in the Rocky Mountains, became a happy Eastern Carolina transplant. She and Tom were married for 58 years until his death in 2013.



Barbara loved her family, her churches, dogs, and Bogue Banks. She looked forward to one more boat ride in the beautiful waters off Cape Lookout. Barbara especially cherished her many friends from Jacksonville, Emerald Isle, Reviewer’s Book Club, and her Briar Chapel neighborhood. And she loved sending hand-written notes to all of them.



She is survived by her sister, Sharon Hunter; her three sons John, Chris and Karl; her three daughters-in-law; and her 6 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to your local animal rescue shelter or to Emerald Isle Baptist Church.