Pastor JoAnne Pace was born in Cumberland County, North Carolina on April 14, 1942,as the fourth daughter of Alexander McLaurin and Mary Benton-McLaurin. JoAnne was educated in the Cumberland County Public School System and graduated from the then segregated Historically Black High School E. E. Smith Senior High School in 1960. After graduation from high school, she enrolled at the HBCU Fayetteville State Teachers College in 1962 studying for a BA in Liberal Arts. 1963 JoAnne moved to NY during the latter years of the Great Migration of African Americans to the North to join her mother just after Kennedy issues Executive Order 11063 prohibiting racial discrimination in federally owned housing. Shortly thereafter 1963, she met her husband of 53 years Airman Veteran 1^st Class  Victor W. Pace Sr. In 1976 they further migrated to Maine, NY from Brooklyn to join her husband who secured a position with IBM. Pastor Joann and her husband Minister Victor Pace are proud parents of two adult sons Victor II and T. Scott. JoAnne studied computer programming and operations at Universal Systems Institute in New York, New York and continued ministerial studies at Mount Zion Ministerial Institute in Waverly New York. Pastor JoAnne Pace has a multi-faceted ministry within the 5 fold ministry gifts and a special for counseling women. She received and accepted the call to ministry in 1979.  Pastor JoAnne Pace was co-founder of Faith Evangelistic Church in Johnson City New York in 1978. Over the next 20 years she served as evangelist in numerous capacities in the local church community which included president of women’s Ministry Congress International, Director of Evangelism, Intercessory prayer co-coordinator, Facilitator of Ministry and Leadership Training Programs. She was an active member in Women’s Aglow International for 23 years. Pastor Joann served as local president for Women’s Aglow serving Binghamton, Endicott, Johnson City 4 years and served 6 years as Vice President of the Leadership Training of Central New York area board. In the local community pastor Joann co-hosted radio weekly 2 hour show Gospel Renaissance, radio broadcast on WENE AM and WMRV FM for nearly 10 years through the 1980. She also served on the Hospice Advisory Board at Lourdes Hospital in Johnson City New York for 7 years. In the local community God graciously opened many doors of ministry for her. Throughout her life she has conducted leadership conferences throughout the community, seminars and retreats at churches, a prison ministry, lead Women’s Aglow chapters and has been asked to speak throughout the United States ,Canada and the West Indies. After the passing of the late Benjamin I Thomas in 1996, Joanne served as one of the first African American women to serve as Associate Pastor in Broome County and then as Interim Pastor until May 1998 when she and her husband founded Abundant Grace Ministries in June of 1999 in Binghamton NY. Joanne was ordained by Pastor Rod Parsley under World Harvest Church Ministerial Fellowship in Columbus Ohio in September1999. Currently Pastor Joanne serves as Associate Pastor at Hands Of Hope Ministeries, working closely with Pastors Henry and Mary Ausby. Here she utilized her special gifting in preaching, teaching, counseling and deliverance ministries. Her selfless servitude will be missed in the community. Pastor JoAnne’s memory will forever be in our hearts and in a community that she loved and served.  JoAnne’s leaves her nurturing and selfless husband Victor Sr.; 2  sons Victor II( Iva) and, T. Scott, sisters Mary McAllister(Freddie); Iris Jackson, Deloise Stevenson(Anthony), and Veronica Huddleston; brothers, Hassan Abdellah(Sieedah) and Norris Llewellen, grand-daughters, Brittany Lauren, Elizabeth Marie, as well as a host of spiritual daughters across the country including Mildred Santiago, Yvette Smith, Marcia Meikle, Dionne Patterson, Tamara Cole and grand-daughter Shakkira Piper. ”

Funeral Services will be held Monday at 1 pm from the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main Street, Endicott with Reverend Henry Ausby of Hands of Hope Ministries officiating. Burial will be in Vestal Hills Memorial Park, Vestal. The family will receive friends at the Allen Memorial Home Monday from 11 am until service time at 1 pm. Expressions of love in JoAnne’s memory may be made to the Pace Family, 32 Burbank Avenue, Johnson City, NY 13790.