June Pace

June Roberta Pace (nee Fairney), 81, departed on October 27, 2016 in Denver, CO, after a long battle with dementia.

June was born on June 11, 1935, in Minneapolis, MN, to Arthur Elwyn Fairney and Nelma Lavina (Wick) Fairney. She was the loving older sister of Douglas James Fairney.

June graduated from Washburn High School in 1953 and attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She briefly worked as a dental hygienist during college before becoming a stewardess with Northwest Orient airlines, a job she kept until her marriage. June loved being a stewardess and enjoyed the far off places it took her, including Hawaii and Cuba.

On September 26, 1959, she married Eugene Raymond Pace of Cleveland, Ohio, becoming part of his large Italian-American family. They moved to Mayfield Heights in 1961, where she lived for the next 49 years.

In Mayfield, June raised three children as a single parent. She was active in Girl Scouting, PTA, Mayfield's Bicentennial Committee, and as a host for AFS students and Up with People. She loved her children fiercely and focused her considerable intelligence, creativity and perseverance on giving them a stable, happy childhood. This included making pennies stretch when necessary to cover piano and dance lessons, scouting, sports, summer camps, and other opportunities she wanted them to have. She loved holidays and created many family traditions to make them special. She was an accomplished cook, baker, sewer, crafter and home handywoman.

When her youngest child entered high school, she took a job as a front desk clerk at Mayfield Regional Library, where she worked for the next 30 years. The library became another family for June. She became good friends with many coworkers, from teenage ‘pages' to librarians, and was a well-known face to library patrons. She is remembered there for her excellent baking, her kindness and hard work, and her love of Scottish Terriers.

June is survived by her children and their families: daughter Krista Pace Copeland, son-in-law Randall Wayne Copeland, and granddaughter Bethany Grace Copeland of Denver, CO, and granddaughter Laura Allison (Copeland) Macikas and grandson-in-law John Mark Macikas of Siloam Springs, AR; daughter Jana Lynn (Pace) Peirce, son-in-law John Carl Peirce, Jr., and granddaughter Maia Alexandra Peirce of Fairbanks, AK; son Steven Patrick Pace, daughter-in-law Theresa "Terry" Ann (Collins) Pace, and grandchildren Jason Douglas Pace, Quinn Collins Pace, and Mitchell Edward Fairney Pace of Northport, NY; June was preceded in death by her parents and brother.

The family wishes to thank the staffs of Brookdale Arvada and Brookdale Hospice for their compassionate care of June over the past few years.

June will be interred at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN, near her father and brother. A family service will be held in Minneapolis at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please sign the online guestbook below and share a favorite memory of June or a reflection on how she touched your life. Donations may be made in June Pace's name to the Mayfield Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library at 500 SOM Center Road, Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143.