Gladys Lucille (Zemke) Pace

Gladys passed away peacefully on August 26, 2021 in the care of Hospice of The Valley while in residence at Elmcroft of Tempe. Gladys was born and raised in Lansing, MI, where she attended Everett High, graduating as valedictorian in 1942. She then went to work at the the local Selective Service Department for two years, then joined the Women’s Air Corps (WAC) requesting overseas duty and was flown to Kindley Air Force Base in Bermuda. She served there until the end of WWll, earning the Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon, Bronze Battle Star, Overseas Service Bar and Good Conduct Medal. Gladys and family left Michigan for Mesa, Arizona in 1964 and went to work for Motorola Semiconductor, working in the International Finance Department until her retirement in 1984. She kept up her interest in the Air Force and was an active member in the VFW, Post 1760 in Mesa. At one of the Veterans Day Parades in Mesa, she acted as the Honorary Grand Marshall. A few years before falling ill, Gladys participated in an Honor Flight trip to Washington DC accompanied by her granddaughter, Kris. She is preceded in death by her father and mother, Fred and Lottie Zemke, her husband, Auburn Pace, her sisters Marguerite Harris and Waunetta Moyer. She is survived by her three children, Linda Parfitt (Roy) of Gig Harbor, WA, son, Jon Pace of Sacramento, CA and Kimberly Pace-Kelly of Mesa, AZ. Granddaughter, Kris Parfitt Travers (Dan) of Seattle, WA, grandson, Eric Henderson of Mesa, AZ, granddaughter, Jennifer Johnson (Darnell) and three great grandchildren, Mikel, Xavyon and Ariel’Luv of Mesa, AZ and her cousins, Marilyn Hill of Lansing, MI. and Jim Zemke (Joann) of Vermontville, MI.

The family would like to thank Elmcroft and Hospice of The Valley for nine months of outstanding care through both Covid and Pneumonia.

To honor Gladys, please reach out to Veterans, both active and non-active, offering support where and when needed.