Emily Pace Bayless

January 23, 1933 - February 2, 2025

Florence Emily Pace Bayless was born on January 23, 1933, in Brewster, Florida, a small phosphate mining town in southern Polk County near Mulberry. Her parents were Woodie and Florence Pace. Woodie worked as a civil engineer for the American Cyanamid Company helping to plan and construct phosphate mines.

When she was a child, Emily’s family moved to Alabama during World War II so her father could help with the war effort. In a few years, they returned to Brewster where Emily attended Mulberry High School. The Pace family enjoyed spending summers on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County. One summer, family legend tells, Emily was driving her father’s car and almost ran over Robert Paul “Bob” Bayless. Bob says that he told his friend that he was going to have to date her to get her off the road. Other family members insist that Emily deliberately swerved to get Bob’s attention.

Bob’s family lived on Anna Maria, but the couple maintained their long-distance relationship much to Woodie’s chagrin. Bob’s brother, Bill, flew a small plane over the family’s home in Polk County and Bob dropped a note for Emily. Woodie and Emily’s younger brother, James, spent hours looking for that which merely said, “See you this weekend.”

After graduation from Mulberry High School, Emily went to Florida State University where she majored in elementary education. In the meantime, Bob entered the Navy serving as a medic on a minesweeper in the Pacific. Before her final semester at FSU, Bob obtained leave from the Navy and returned home for Christmas. He and Emily were married on Christmas Eve, 1954. After a honeymoon in Savannah, Georgia, Emily returned to FSU to finish her degree and Bob completed his service in the Navy.

Emily graduated in February of 1955 and joined Bob in South Carolina where he was working at the Marine Base as a medic. That Fall, Bob enrolled in University of Florida to earn his degree in Civil Engineering while Emily commuted every day from Gainesville to Trenton to teach school. They lived in FLAVET (Florida Veterans) housing on campus.

Their first daughter, Catherine, was born in 1958. Bob graduated in 1959, and the family moved to Pinellas County, Florida where Bob began his career in Civil Engineering. By this time, Emily was pregnant with their second daughter, Stephanie, who was born in 1960.

Emily focused her attention on raising their daughters. However, she was also active in church activities at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, teaching children’s Sunday School, leading Vacation Bible School and helping with the Young Married Sunday School Class. She was also involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship hosting backyard Bible clubs and taught women’s Bible studies. She was also active in the Parent Teacher Association at Bay Point Elementary School. When they could read, she took the girls to the public library for library cards. That trip spurred a lifetime of reading for both of them. She also chauffeured the girls and their friends to girl scouts, church choirs, and Wednesday night church activities.

When her daughters married and had families of their own, her greatest love was caring for her grandchildren. All the love and energy she had once invested in her girls, she lavished on her three grandsons and one granddaughter. When her first grandchild was born, she wondered aloud, “What are we going to do with a boy?” but she was an exceptional grandmother of both boys and a girl, helping to raise them to be independent and curious.

Emily and Bob travelled a great deal both for his work and for pleasure. They visited Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Every summer, they took at least one grandchild across the country to their motor home.

The couple moved to Terra Ceia Island in 1978 and lived there until 2018 when they relocated to Freedom Village Retirement Community in Bradenton.

Emily will be remembered for her kind and gentle nature. (Well, except for one instance when Bob piloted the family boat across Biscayne Bay on a Sunday afternoon with lots of boat traffic). Until she could no longer talk, she always expressed her gratitude for the care she received. More than anything, she wanted people to see Jesus in her life and be led to follow Him. She was a dedicated volunteer for Project Christmas Child Shoebox ministry and supported the children’s and youth ministries of Palm View First Baptist Church.

Emily is survived by her husband of seventy years, Bob Bayless, daughters Cathy Slusser (Glen) and Stephanie Lenart (Bob), grandchildren, Robert Lenart, Emily Lenart, Robert Slusser, Timothy Slusser (Miranda), great grandson, Jonah Slusser, her brother, James Pace (Betty) and many nieces and nephews.

Special thanks to the staff of Freedom Village assisted living and skilled nursing for their care and kindness, especially Maria, Deb, Laurette, Jacoba, Agnes and Naomi, the entire third floor team, and to the staff of Tidewell Empath Hospice.

A Celebration of Life will be led by Rev. Tom Winter on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM, at Palm View First Baptist Church, 415 49th Street East, Palmetto.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Samaritans’ Purse Shoebox Ministry of Palm View First Baptist Church or Tidewell Empath Hospice.