faithful husband, Bill, who was her best friend, and whom she openly adored. At a recent family
gathering in June, she repeatedly stated how much she loved him and how thankful she was to
have spent so many years with the man she met and married in college.
Kaye was born Kaye Sylvia Cowley on April 8, 1937 in Ogden, Utah to R Adams Cowley and
Marjorie Smith. She was an only child. Her father, a graduate of the University of Utah and
famous heart surgeon, moved the family to Baltimore for medical school and later a career in
trauma medicine. She loved returning each summer to Utah to spend time with cousins and
Uncle Hal Cowley. She often spoke fondly of those memories.
When she was 18 years old, Kaye was accepted at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah to
study elementary education, and finished with her teaching degree. While at BYU, she found
herself “the most handsome cowboy on campus”, Bill Pace, who hailed from Arizona, and who
quickly found her beauty and companionship quite agreeable. They were married on May 13, 1955 and
later sealed forever in the Oakland California Temple.
While Bill pursued a dental education in San Francisco, Kaye taught school to help make ends
meet. She loved the school kids but really hated dropping off her daughters, Cathy and Cindie
at day care. Later, she supported the move of the family to Los Angeles while Bill finished his
Orthodontics degree at USC. Bill and Kaye loved to explore the country and often found
themselves and their growing family in some long car rides that took them to some beautiful
locales. However, when they discovered Santa Cruz, California, they knew they had found
home. While Bill straightened teeth, Kaye was busy with the activities of her two older
daughters, and created space for two rambunctious sons, Greg and Brad, to join their circle of
love. They built a lovely home in Soquel that overlooked the Monterey Bay, and often
entertained friends and neighbors with swimming parties and delicious barbeques. Kaye and
Bill worked hard to create a heavenly environment for their children, but were interrupted in a
tragic way when Brad, at 14, developed a cough that wouldn’t go away. Within a week the
cough had been diagnosed as lung cancer, and within another week Brad was gone. With
astounding faith in God, Kaye pulled the family together and made sure everyone knew that
Brad’s absence was only temporary and that all of her family would be together again in the
great hereafter. She penned a beautiful journal of Brad’s life and shared it with many people
who expressed appreciation for her insights, love, and faith.
In 1989, the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake did discouraging and severe damage to their
home in Soquel. Undaunted and with the same familiar courage with which she faced most
challenges, Kaye led the restoration effort to rebuild and redecorate so she could once again
entertain family and friends.
In Kaye’s middle age years, she discovered an untapped talent in art and began producing
beautiful oil paintings, some of which hang prominently in the homes of her children and
grandchildren. Cindie especially appreciates the inspiring painting of Jesus Christ that Kaye
produced remarkably soon after she developed her interest in art.
Kaye and Bill owned a water ski boat and loved to take their children and grandchildren
camping and skiing. On one particular trip north, they discovered Lost Creek Lake just outside
