My name is Sharman Evans and I was Robert Pace's eldest daughter. My family and I would like to share some memories in Celebration of his life. My dad went to met Jesus at 6:45 pm on 11/11/2014. My father was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1940, to Vivian and William Pace. He had 5 brothers and 1 Sister. His parents were loving and strict and had to keep all of those boys in line. My grandmother was no pushover herself, but they certainly had their hands full. Of course they always said their sister was an angel, and I tended to believe them because Aunt Dorothy certainly seemed that way to me. He and his siblings got along quite well, (mostly due to the fact that their father would tan their hides if they didn't) but they certainly had their moments. I remember one story that my Uncle Pat told me when I was a child and it stuck in my mind to this day. My dad and his younger brother David were apparently old enough to get into pool halls, but their youngest brother Pat wasn't. Of course being the older brothers they were saddled with the responsibility of watching their younger brother. So whenever they wanted to go in the bar to play pool, they would just leave their younger brother in the car and threaten to maim him if he got out. Of course they would never have done that because if they did they would never have been able to go home again, but of course Pat didn't realize that. So he would spend hours in the car waiting for them while they were in the pool hall playing pool and flirting with the girls. My father was an Eagle Scout, An Airman Third Class in the Air Force, and a State Trooper. In the line of duty he served his country and saved lives. In 1968 in the line of duty he met our mother Elizabeth (Betty) Schlitt. She apparently stuck her tongue out at him and it was love at first sight. On their first date, my dad played the soundtrack of the movie "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." They were married on October 7, 1968. I came along a year and a day later. My father was stationed with the Highway Patrol in Starke, Florida, but decided to retire and moved us to Jacksonville, Florida where my sister, Stacey, was born in 1974. We moved to Fernandina Beach, Florida where my dad became the supervisor of the pulp plant and he was beloved by colleagues and co-workers alike. He was a softy and took in any stray animal or child that came along and our house was always full of love and laughter. In the mid eighties we moved yet again to Orlando, Florida were my dad took a job at "The happiest place on Earth" which of course they call Walt Disney World. In 1984 we moved to Clermont, Florida where dad lived until his dying day. In Clermont he followed his heart and took in several more children who needed homes and a surrogate father and again our house was full. When I married Larry Evans and Stacey married Alex Farkas he had new family who quickly became like sons to him. They both were very special to him and he loved them dearly. Dad truly enjoyed talking with Alex about cars and teasing Alex about how deep a hole he was digging with Stacey when he ran his mouth. In 1989 upon the birth of my son Brandon Evans, his first grandchild, my dad finally had the son he always wanted. When I brought Brandon home from the hospital, he had colic, and my dad was the only one who could comfort him, so dad would walk around the house for hours carrying Brandon upon his shoulders patting his back to keep him from crying. He never once complained about the lack of sleep he was getting and enjoyed every minute of it. Brandon and dad spent every weekend together and were inseparable. Brandon became dad's best friend and confidante and to his dying day dad truly loved Brandon like a son. In 1991 his granddaughter Chelsea Evans was born and dad couldn't have been prouder. He now had two grandchildren to spoil and he definitely went to work on that right away. Many a time you would find Chelsea just sitting on dads lap while watching TV or just hanging out with dad, and dad always made sure that she never wanted for anything that she needed. One day dad heard the name Chelsea Rodriguez on TV and started calling her Rodriguez. He would yell out "Rodriguez" whenever he needed her. When he found out Chelsea was pregnant and going to make him a great grandfather, although he said, "That's just what you need" he was tickled pink and told me that he couldn't wait to spoil this one as well. In 1996 his granddaughter Courtney was born and she became his special friend. She was always there to make dad smile and bring him candy and sweets. In his later years when he was in the hospital he could always count on Courtney to bring him milk shakes and bring him real food. She took time out of her busy schedule to take him to breakfast which was his favorite meal. He looked forward to the times that she could spend with him at breakfast. In 1999 his grandson Matthew was born. As Matthew was the baby of the grandkids, dad enjoyed spending time with him and Matthew would always be the first to spend time reminiscing about the good old days. Dad also enjoyed sitting on the back porch and watching Matthew ride his dirt bike like a dare devil. He always loved Matthew's long hair and told him that he should never cut it. Dad had a heart as big as Texas and as friends of his children and grandchildren needed money or a place to stay or just a surrogate father or grandfather he was always there. When my father had a heart attack in 2009, he became a different man. His body began to fail him but he never let that stop him from trying to be independent. All the nurses at the hospital loved him, although he could be a hardheaded and give them a hard time. Dad lost his battle with End Stage Renal failure on November 11, 2014 at 6:45 pm. He was the greatest man with the biggest heart that we have ever known and although he will live on forever in our hearts, he will be truly missed. We know he is in heaven right now with his parents, his sister and his older brother looking down on us from above and will always be in our hearts.



A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Real Life Church,