Frankie Mar Fullmer Pace passed away peacefully on August 12, 2017 in Salt Lake City, UT. Frankie was born in Salt Lake City on July 16, 1926 the oldest daughter of John Floyd and Helen Fullmer. She grew up in and around Duchesne, Utah. She attended Duchesne High School graduating in 1944. While attending high school she was serving guests at a Lions Club banquet where she attracted the attention of one of the attendees, Keith Pace, who asked around to find out who this pretty girl was. After finding out her name and where she lived Keith spent a couple of weeks building up the courage to look her up. He finally went to her home and asked her to go to the movie with him. She took one look at this tall, dark, handsome young man standing in front of her and promptly told him no, that she already had a boyfriend. Undeterred, Keith continued to talk to Frankie over the ensuing weeks until she finally agreed to go to a movie with him. After that Keith never heard mention of that other boyfriend. That movie initiated a courtship culminating in their marriage in the Salt Lake Temple on April 10, 1946. Following their marriage they returned to Hawthorne, Nevada where Keith was serving in the U.S. Navy. Upon his discharge in September 1946 they returned to Mountain Home, Utah where they lived a short time on Keith’s family’s ranch. While living there their first son Alan was born. Approximately a year later they moved to Sunnyside, Washington where Keith worked a short time for the Carnation Company. They returned to Utah in 1948 and established a home in Mountain Green in Morgan County. Here they worked a farm along with Keith’s brothers and father. It was here that three additional children were born; Lloyd, Bruce, and Janet. Keith and Frankie loved to dance and during their time in Mountain Green they often drove to Ogden to attend dances at a ballroom and went to every Gold and Green Ball at the surrounding LDS Churches. In 1959 the ranch was sold and the family moved to Kanosh, Millard County, Utah where the family operated a farm under contract for the owner. After a year they had an opportunity to purchase an adjacent farm. The family raised alfalfa, grain, and cattle. As she had done in Mountain Green Frankie not only kept the house and her sons in order, did the laundry, and cooked the meals, she also operated the farm equipment, moved sprinklers, and fed the livestock. Mixed in with all of these other activities in Kanosh she had her fifth child, Steve.
Making a living on the farm was difficult so in an effort to increase profits Keith purchased a semi-truck and trailer and began hauling alfalfa hay raised on the farm to dairies in Southern California. With Keith being gone frequently the additional responsibility fell on Frankie to take care of the family and run the farm with help from her sons. The family ultimately left the farm and moved to Orem, Utah while Keith continued driving truck. After several years in Orem Frankie and Keith moved their home to the Salt Lake area where she lived until her passing.
Having spent much of her life on a farm or ranch she had precious little time for vacations. So after leaving that life behind one of her most anticipated events was the annual sisters reunion when she would get together with Janice, Jewel, Marilyn and the twins, Beth and Bette. They might head for a cabin in the mountains or just rent a couple of hotel rooms and spend several days and late nights laughing, playing games, riding four wheelers, laughing, visiting, laughing some more and just relishing spending time together as sisters who loved each other. Frankie had one complete photo album of pictures taken during these special times.
A special mention needs to be made concerning her daughter, Janet. Janet was born with Down Syndrome. Doctor’s told the family that she would not live through the night. She ultimately lived to the age of 37 and the family believes that she lived so long because of the love, care, and attention she was given by her devoted mother. Frankie loved all of her children but there was a special love and bond for Janet. Janet’s death left a painful void in her mother’s heart. At the time of Frankie’s death one of the foremost thoughts in the minds of her family was of the joyous reunion taking place between mother and daughter.
Frankie was preceded in death by her daughter Janet, parents Floyd and Helen Fullmer, brother Ross (Lois) Fullmer, brother John and Sister-in-Law Bonnie Fullmer, sister Jewel (Ken) Maler, sister Janice (Ted) Starley, sister Marilyn (Burnell) Cordner, and brother-in-law Keith (Bette) Bastian, granddaughter Kathryn Pace, great granddaughter Jillian Pace and all of her brothers and sisters-in law and their spouses.
She is survived by her husband of 71 years Keith, Sandy, Utah; Sons Alan (Kathleen) Pace, Vacaville, California; Lloyd (Laura) Pace Visalia, California; Bruce (Patsy) Pace Ephriam, Utah; and Steve (Charlotte) Pace, Sandy, Utah; sisters Beth (Dennis) Peterson, Syracuse, Utah; Bette Bastian, Payson, Utah; Brother-in-Law Burnell Cordner, Ogden, Utah; Sister-in-Law Lois Fullmer, West Valley City, Utah; and Brother-in-Law Ken Maler, Reseda, California; 14 Grandchildren and 26 Great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Friends and family are cordially invited to a viewing to be held Friday, August 18th, at the LDS Chapel, 275 E. 10600 S., Sandy, Utah 84070 from 6:00 pm. to 8:00 pm. Funeral services will be held Saturday August 19th at 10:00 am at the same location. Burial will take place at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Cemetery.
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