It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Hedvika Marie Pace, 91, on July 26, 2017. She was a kind and caring woman who will be missed by all who knew her.
Marie was born in Deskle, Italy, the second of eight children. She was a witness to the greatest tragedy of WWII when her town was invaded by the Nazis and all the teenagers were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Along with her sisters Millie and Inez,they were sent to forced labor in the Mauthausen concentration camp. They were liberated by the US Army in the spring of 1945 and repatriated home. At a New Year's Eve party hosted by the Red Cross she was asked to dance by a young American GI, Thomas H. Pace, and, as they say, the rest is history. They were married in Livorno, Italy in November 1947, and had 48 wonderful years together until Tom's passing in 1996. Tom continued in the Army and together they lived in California, Washington, Germany and Utah. When Tom retired from the Army, they moved to Kearns Utah.
Marie was a wonderful seamstress and created everything from wedding dresses to quilts. She spent many hours crocheting afghans for all her children and grandchildren, and loved cooking traditional Italian foods for her family. She was a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.
She is survived by her children Thomas (Laurie) Pace, Jr., Theresa (Steven) Allen and Beverly (Jerry Root) Pace, 9 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Also surviving sisters in Canada and Slovenia.
Graveside services will be held at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 17111 South Redwood Road, Bluffdale, UT. A visitation will be held from 10:00 ‚ 11:00 a.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South) in Sandy prior to the services.
