Linda Margaret Pace

Linda Margaret Pace, nee Maloney, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 2, in Phoenix, AZ, at age 76. Linda was born in Niagara Falls, NY, on May 14, 1947, to Thomas Edward Maloney and Gloria Beverly Dukelow. She was raised in Milford, OH, through 1965 before moving with her family to Providence, RI, at age 18. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of RI in 1969.

She met and married her husband Hugh (Russ) Pace in Providence, RI, in 1972. It was love at first sight, and they married within three weeks. They then lived in Marquette, MI, before returning to Russ's home state of WA to start a family. Linda and Russ had two children. Brooke Allison Pace and Tyler James Pace. Linda and Russ were devout Catholics raising their family in the Catholic church. In 1986, the Pace family moved from Everett, WA to Phoenix, AZ.

Linda's vocation to public service began in 1970. She highly valued education for herself and her family. She achieved her master's degree in social work from Arizona State University in 1991 and was invited to join MENSA International. She was active with the National Association of Social Workers and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2004. Her career served several critical populations of health care needs: children and the homeless, the poor, prison inmates, veterans, the mentally ill, and hospitals. The latter part of Linda's career was devoted to the elderly through the Area Agency on Aging. She retired from the State of Arizona in 2010.

In the years following retirement, she pursued an interest in painting using watercolor and oils as mediums and pencil drawings. She was a natural talent and gave her family beautiful artwork of landscapes and flowers. For decades, she advocated for cats and adored her own cats. She formalized the Encanto Municipal Golf Course Feral Cat Caretaker program in 2012 with community support.

Linda is survived by her daughter, Brooke; her husband, Matthew Bennett; her son, Tyler; his wife, Kristen; and their three children Juliette, Tyler, and Jacqueline. Linda is survived by her brother, Thomas, and half-siblings from her father's family, Lesley, Timothy, and Michael, as well as her half-sister, Sheila, from her mother's side. Linda is also survived by her beloved stepmother, Julia.

Linda's husband of 51 years, Hugh (Russ), passed away on September 21, 2023. Despite her renewed eagerness to walk again, her body was tired from the stroke she suffered in 2020. It took Linda 10 weeks to catch up with her True Love, Russ; they are now united in heaven.

Linda's Memorial Mass will be held Friday December 15th at 10 AM at St. Francis Xavier Catholic church 4715 N Central Ave, phoenix, AZ 85012. Linda & Russ will be interred together in Everett, WA July 2023.

Donations are welcome via GoFundMe.com to support the Encanto Municipal Golf Course Feral Cat Caretaker program. https://gofund.me/a6d3ae90