Nathaniel Ardis Pace

An old jokester born on April Fool’s Day 1925 in Wiggins, MS, away peacefully on July 4. Always a singer and yodeler, he was author of The Excess Male and wrote many songs including Amazing Grass.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Sylvia Jane Vaught Pace; his eldest son, Jeffrey B. Pace and his partner, Teresa Hammock; grandsons, Justin Edgerton, Jeremiah Hahn, Robert Garza, John Garza and Alexander Garza and 9 great-grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his youngest son, Walter W. Pace.
Nate served as a Marine Raider during WWII and saw action at Bougainville, Gaum, Marianas Island, Okinawa, Rykuyu Islands and the occupation of Japan. He always said the most dangerous place was New Zealand, as the fathers there were very protective of their daughters.
After the war he worked at Ross Island Reptile Institute in Silver Springs FL, milking rattlesnakes and wrestling alligators. He received his college degree in Maryland and worked in DC as a telegram runner. For 34 years, he was a Customs and Immigration Officer serving in Texas, Maine, Georgia, and Virginia.
His favorite hobby was to sing and tell jokes at open mic nights at the various clubs and churches around the Tidewater area.
A memorial will be July 19 at Craft 60 Ale House in Denbigh at 9:30 pm. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the American Heart Association.