Janet Nelson Pace

Janet N. Pace RUTLAND — Janet Nelson Pace passed away on Saturday, October 7, 2023 following a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease at the Meadows in Rutland, VT. She was born on May 14, 1935 to Carl and Helen Nelson in Ludlow, MA. Janet was predeceased by her parents, Carl and Helen Nelson, and her brother, Carl Allan Nelson. She is survived by her husband, Ralph Pace, and three sons: Stephen, Jeffrey, Douglas, granddaughter, Emilia, and daughters-in-laws, Barbara Ohm and Veronica Jimenez. She spent the first quarter of a century living in Springfield, MA. She attended Samuel Bowles Elementary School, Van Sickle Junior High School, and Classical High School where she was a constant honor student. Following this, Janet attended the University of Massachusetts for two years followed by three years at Columbia University while training to become a Register Nurse at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, graduating with a BS with honors and RN in 1957. Upon graduation, Janet was associated with several San Francisco Hospitals where, when not nursing, managed to travel throughout the West. She, and a group of friends loved camping in the National Parks. They visited virtually every park system west of the Mississippi. On her return to the East, Janet began working for the Visiting Nurses in Holyoke, MA which was the beginning of her long association with public healthcare. On July 8, 1961, she married Ralph Pace, also of Springfield. This marriage would continue for over the next 62 years, involving three sons, Stephen, Jeffrey, and Douglas, and many moves. Janet still continued working in the public health sector with gradual involvement in the management side. Janet managed to find time to attend graduate school at Pace University where she earned her MA degree in Public Healthcare Management. Among the places where she lived and work were Boston, CT, PA, NJ, and Saudi Arabia. She managed to survive the societal restrictions in Arabia by learning Lebanese cooking and travelling to Beirut, the Paris of the East. Janet and Ralph decided to retire to Ludlow, VT, purchasing a home there in 1996. Here Janet was involved in numerous local groups such as the garden club, the friends of the library, FOLA, the United Church of Ludlow, and quilting. It was this latter hobby that occupied much of her time and interest. She was honored by the Billings-March National Park for he quilting efforts. She also received a special award from FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) of which she was a founding member. She enjoyed travelling featuring trips to Paris, a Danube River tour, a trip to Tuscany, a tour of Costa Rica, many trips to Canada, an extensive tour of Turkey and Greece, Mexico, Sweden, and England. Janet loved to spend time with her remote sons in Utah, New Mexico, and Southern California. She was especially anxious to see her grand-daughter, Emilia. While the early days in Ludlow featured skiing at Okemo, a Canadian friendship started a ten-year annual ski trip to the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Janet dearly loved her home in Ludlow, especially its large front porch where she enjoyed entertaining family and friends. While still a “flat-lander” to Vermont, Ludlow was her home. A celebration memorial, followed by a buffet lunch, is planned for sometime in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741. Arrangements are under the direction of Clifford Funeral Home.