William S. (Bill) Pace Jr.
Published 9:35 am Thursday, October 10, 2024
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October 2, 2024
William S. (Bill) Pace Jr. passed away in Athens, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. He was born in Selma on Dec. 1, 1952, to W. Stanley and Jennie (Young) Pace.
Bill was educated in Selma’s schools and graduated from John T. Morgan Academy in May of 1971. He went on to attend Auburn University and received a B.S. in building science in 1975. This was followed by an M.S.I.E. (computer science) in December of 1977. In the process, he became a life-long follower of AU football.
In late 1977, Bill accepted a programmer/analyst job at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas. His work involved the development and maintenance of the software that managed the construction of the F-16 as well as subsequent products. GD’s IT department was outsourced to CSC in November of 1990. Bill continued working at this facility when it was sold to Lockheed-Martin in November of 2002. Deteriorating health forced Bill into early retirement in January of 2008.
Bill married the love of his life and best friend in November of 1994. The couple chose to retire to the Oakwood subdivision near Athens, Texas, in May of 2008 and have been enjoying life there ever since.
Bill is survived by his wife, Dee (Rodgers); two stepchildren, Kellee (Kevin) Kirkpatrick and David (Karen) Draper; two granddaughters, Maddie (Tyler) Pitt and Alyson Welborn; Maddie’s children, Leila and Braxton; as well as two first and several second cousins with their families. Other survivors include Bill’s brothers-in-law, Don Rodgers, Roy (Colleen) Rodgers and Johnny Ray Rodgers, along with their families. In addition, Bill is survived by his faithful canine companion, Patty.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Henderson County Humane Society, P.O. Box 162, Athens, TX 75751 or Hospice Plus, 836 Southpark Cir. Ste. D, Athens, TX 75752.
Memorial services will be held on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Autry’s Carroll-Lehr Funeral Chapel in Athens, Texas.