Juanita Pace

Juanita M. Pace, age 90, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, passed away on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. She was born on September 29, 1935, in Ozark, Arkansas, the daughter of Lish McCarty and Mary Jane (Gregory) McCarty.

For Juanita, family and education were two of the great constants of her life. She devoted her working years to teaching, and by all accounts, she was one heck of a teacher. More than simply choosing education as a profession, Juanita helped begin a long line of educators within her family. The example she set through her work, dedication, and love of learning would continue through the generations that followed her.

Juanita shared her life with her husband, Willard Pace. Together, they enjoyed some of life's simple pleasures, including fishing, especially when their grandchildren could join them. No matter what else was happening, family always came first for Juanita. Her grandchildren held an especially important place in her heart, and time spent with them was never time wasted.

Juanita also knew how to enjoy life on her own terms. She loved to travel and especially enjoyed shopping trips with her daughter Lynn. She was a talented seamstress and an avid reader who particularly enjoyed a good mystery. She spent years bowling on a team and also had a love for genealogy, fitting for a woman to whom family history and the generations connected to it meant so much.

Those who knew Juanita will remember a woman whose influence stretched far beyond her own 90 years. Through her family, her students, and the generations of educators she helped inspire, she leaves behind a legacy built through a lifetime of teaching, loving, and putting family first. Ninety years provide plenty of time to leave a mark on the world, and Juanita did just that. She left hers in classrooms, in the family traditions she helped create, in fishing trips and shopping days, in mysteries read and family histories remembered, and most importantly, in the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren she loved so dearly. Her greatest lessons were not limited to a classroom; they were found in the way she lived, the importance she placed on family, and the example she leaves for the generations that follow.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard Pace; her parents, Lish McCarty and Mary Jane McCarty; her brother, Paul McCarty; and her sisters, Mae Shipp, Helen Shipp, Viola Childers, Roxie Fielden, and Pearlie Allred; and a great-granddaughter, Lily.

Juanita is survived by her son, Ron Pace and Cindy of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; her daughter, Lynn Bookout of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; her brother, Wayne "Bud" McCarty and Vanessa of Inola, Oklahoma; her grandchildren, Ryan Pace and Jennifer, Tim Pace and Samantha, Josh Bookout and Madelyn, Ashley Pace-Delk and Andy, and James Bookout; her great-grandchildren, Connor, Alaura, Sean, Keely, Violet, and Penelope; and her great-great-grandchildren, Anthony and Brady. She also leaves behind many other family members, former students, and friends whose lives were touched by hers.

Those wishing to express their condolences are asked to consider donating to Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma https://www.alz.org/oklahoma.

A funeral service honoring Juanita's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 17, 2026, at Reed-Culver Funeral Home

The family will receive friends during visitation on Sunday, August 16, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Juanita will be laid to rest at Blue Springs Cemetery in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.