ATHENS- Freve Pace, 72-years-young, of Athens, OH and Buxton, NC, died of ovarian cancer on June 14 with her daughter by her side. Born Frances Vashti Pace, her parents called her Franny V until her brother, Clark, only 12 months younger, pronounced her nickname as “Free-vee.” Few knew this story, however, as she usually told people her name was of French origin pronounced “Frevé” or alternatively told them her name was Lola. The daughter of Mary Bunker Pace and Jack Pace, Freve was born and raised in Lincoln, NE with her brothers, Clark and John, just a block from their beloved Nana’s house. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1969 and turned 18 on the day of the historic moonwalk. She didn’t hear the “One Small Step…” line as it aired though, because she was deep in the Wisconsin woods completing her last of many years as a counselor at Camp Tower Ranch.
She was captain of her high school AquaLinks synchronized swimming team, about the only sport available for a high school girl in the 1960s. Over the years, her family was treated to many “water ballet” lessons that resulted in countless unskilled performances and the good fortune that inhaling ocean water while laughing hysterically didn’t result in drowning for her performers.
After high school, she attended Lake Forest College before transferring to Ohio State University, where she earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work. Freve’s daughter, Sara, was born when she was a tenacious graduate student in 1975. Despite holding two degrees from OSU, the magnetic pull of Buckeye spirit was no match for her allegiance to Nebraska, and she remained an avid Husker fan for life, so much so that she claimed Sara’s first words were “Go Big Red!” as they drove past Memorial Stadium.
Freve’s career in social work lasted nearly 40 years and was driven by a strong belief in the ability of the profession to improve the well-being of vulnerable and often forgotten populations. The positive impact she made during her career is enduring. Beginning in Columbus, OH, she started her career as a live-in house manager in a residential program for men with developmental disabilities, and from 1975-1978, she was a social worker in the psychiatric unit at St. Ann’s Hospital in Columbus. In 1978, she moved to Athens, OH where she spent most of her career. For 12 years, she was employed by Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling, first as an aftercare and outpatient counselor and later as the Director of the Community Support Program. In 1993, she joined Ohio University, where she served for nearly 20 years as the Field Education Director and for the last two years as the Chair of Graduate Programs in the Department of Social Work.
Freve’s practice as a social worker was marked by her belief that all people deserve access to mental healthcare services, no matter their circumstances. For a decade, she served as an Adolescent Sexual Victimization/Offender Specialist, providing therapy to victims, offenders, and families affected by sexual victimization. For many years, she was a dedicated trauma response counselor with the American Red Cross, and throughout her career, she maintained her own private practice specializing in issues of adjustment, trauma, and sexual victimization.
Even in retirement, social work remained an integral part of her identity. Beware the young person who mentioned wanting to study psychology as an undergraduate student for they would be met with an impassioned speech about the superior utility of a social work degree.
In retirement, Freve was an active volunteer with the Hatteras Island chapter of the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) and spent countless hours monitoring sea turtle nests and walking long stretches of beach searching for cold stunned turtles, typically in the company of her longtime partner, Olie. With Olie, she tried extreme sports, including tandem kiteboarding and eFoiling. She trained for and became a volunteer firefighter with Ladder 44, the Buxton Volunteer Fire Department in Buxton, NC. When her physical brawn was questioned for this job, she was quick to tell people that she not only helped put out fires, but she also provided the fire department’s mental health support. With beautiful vision, she made jewelry under the name Flora Vashti, creating works of art that were an honor to receive.
Freve took great joy in her family and was a constant support to them. She and her only child, Sara, shared the strongest of mother-daughter bonds. In Sara, she established an early love for nature, a passion for reading, and the importance of being willing to advocate for others. Freve was always there for Sara, even if it meant saying yes to proofreading something mere minutes before it was due or accompanying her with great pride to defend her dissertation. She couldn’t have been happier when Sara married Brent, and she voiced repeatedly that she couldn’t love him more if he was her own son.
From the moment of her granddaughters’ births, Emma in 2004 and Liza in 2008, she became their biggest fan. Rarely did a play, recital, or athletic event happen at which she was not present and doing her best to be the loudest in the stands. Her granddaughters’ emotional wellbeing was of utmost importance to Freve, and she even developed the game “Happy, Sad, Mad, Scared” to encourage the sharing of feelings from a young age. Many summers were filled with “Nana Camp,” where campers engaged in a wide array of activities, from jewelry- making to elaborate painting projects.
Freve made deep and authentic connections with people at every stage of her life. She will be forever loved and remembered by her daughter Sara Lohrman Hartman, son-in-law Brent Hartman, granddaughters Emma Vashti Hartman and Liza Jane Hartman, longtime partner Olie Bedell, brothers Clark Pace and John Pace, sister-in-law Elaine Pace, nieces Molly Pace and Kidan Pace, nephew Haftu Pace, and many dear friends and students. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved sister-in-law, Jesse Pace, and dear childhood friend, Genece LaRene Tilts.
She will be thought of for many things but some of her loved ones’ favorites include: her eye for anything heart shaped in nature, her love for dalmatians, her fierce assertion that ketchup should be stored in the pantry, her willingness to talk about and unpack anything for as much time as it took, her beautifully prepared greeting cards, her ability to discuss politics with passion for hours, her legendary baked beans/spaghetti sauce/crab bisque, her flawless design taste, her love of porch swings, her confident mispronunciation of the word “chipotle,” her hilariously foul language, and finally, her special ability to make us all feel loved and understood in a way nobody else could.
A celebration of Freve’s life is planned on what would have been her 73rd birthday on July 20, 2024 at 5:30 at 17022 Bucks Lake Rd, Guysville, OH.
Donations in her honor may be made to Survivor Advocacy Program’s Survivor Emergency Fund by mailing a check made out to “The Ohio University Foundation” at PO Box 869, Athens, OH 45701 with “426882 IHO: Freve Pace” noted on the memo line.
Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.
