Seth’s Obituary 100 years of a life well lived! Seth was born in Quail, Texas to William and Myrtle Pace. After high school he made four trips to California – two riding the rails and staying in hobo camps and two in the rumble seat of a Ford.
The last trip was to move his parents to California after they lost their farm in the Depression. The Ken Burns book, The Dustbowl, highlights Seth’s story. The family settled in Visalia at Linell Labor Camp.
At a talent show at the camp, he met and fell in love with Dorothy Stephenson. While standing in line for their marriage license, they were approached by the Visalia Downtown Merchants Association to participate in a promotion which would pay for their wedding attire and flowers if they would get married on the stage of the Fox Theater at intermission. They were married on the theater stage September 12, 1940.
The wedding guests had to pay for the show, “The Man I Married”. Their wedding is written up in the “Visalia’s Fabulous Fox” by Newell G Bringhurst. In 2010 they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
Seth started his career working for the Government Labor Camp Program in Santa Maria. In 1941 he moved to Wesley where his first son, Robert, was born. In 1945, he became the manager of the Patterson Labor camp.
His sons Michael and Ronald were born there. In 1950 he went into the insurance business with Marion Olson in Patterson. When Marion retired, he established Stanislaus Agency.
He was an independent insurance agent until he retired in 1983. Seth was very active in the community. He was a charter member of the Patterson Lions Club, serving as club president, and secretary.
He was honored by Lions International with a special Award for 60 years of Perfect Attendance and service to the Lions organization. Sports were Seth’s passion. He was a star athlete at Briscoe and Wheeler High Schools in Texas.
While attending Visalia Junior College, he was on the schools first Baseball team. When he came to Patterson he coached American Legion Baseball and he spent many years as the timekeeper for the Patterson High School Basketball games. Seth started officiating high school and Junior College football games and 1950 and continued for 33 years.
When he retired from officiating on the field, he stayed active recruiting and evaluating officials. Golf was his favorite sport as he grew older. He golfed well into his nineties’ and even had a few hole in ones.
Seth was active in the Turlock Country Club, serving as the secretary for the Country Club Senior League. One of his favorite golf tournaments was the Tex Pace Open. It had a hole in one contest with a prize of a trip to Hawaii.
It was on the 5th hole, 509 yards. He didn’t win that hole in one but he did make four others. Seth was known for his sense of humor and positive outlook on life.
Even when the Republicans were in office! He was interviewed for the Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl special on PBS. They did not use his scenes because it did not fit the “gloomy picture” they were depicting in the special.
Seth always had a positive outlook and he knew that things would work out for the better. And they usually did! Seth is preceded in death by his son Ronald and wife Dorothy.
He is survived by his son Robert, wife Anne, son Michael, wife Sally, Grandchildren: Julie Pace, Ken Pace, Paul Pace, Ryan Pace, Natalie Pace Cady, and six great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Patterson Lions Club, P.O. Box 452, Patterson, CA 95363. A Visitation will be held from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at Hillview Funeral Chapel in Patterson followed by a Graveside Service at 11:00 am, Friday, January 11th at Patterson District Cemetery in Patterson.
Services conducted by Hillview Funeral Chapel, Patterson.
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